Windows 11 update knocks out USB mice, keyboards in recovery mode
- Reference: 1760966474
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/10/20/microsoft_bug_keyboard_mouse/
- Source link:
The bug affects Windows 11 version 25H2 (2025 Update) users only when accessing WinRE – the diagnostic toolset used to troubleshoot boot failures. USB devices work normally in Windows proper.
Turns out the end of Windows 10 is good for something: The PC refresh cycle [1]READ MORE
WinRE can be accessed when Windows fails to start multiple times, or manually by interrupting the boot process twice (holding the power button before Windows loads). The system automatically enters WinRE on the third startup.
Microsoft said engineers are developing a fix to be released "in the coming days."
This offers little comfort to users already stuck trying to troubleshoot PC problems with nonfunctional input devices.
[2]The real insight behind measuring Copilot usage is Microsoft's desperation
[3]Windows 11 update breaks localhost, prompting mass uninstall workaround
[4]Schleswig-Holstein waves auf Wiedersehen to Microsoft stack
[5]What do we want? Windows 10 support! When do we want it? Until 2030!
This particular snafu echoes Windows 95's early USB support, when BIOS firmware lagged behind the OS, leaving users with USB keyboards unable to access BIOS settings without digging up legacy PS/2 keyboards.
Other [6]problems identified with this latest update include smartcard authentication issues in Windows Cryptographic Services; Windows Update Standalone Installer failures when installing from shared folders; and server-side applications that rely on Internet Information Services (IIS) [7]might fail to load , as detailed by The Register last week. ®
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[1] https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/17/windows_10_upgrades_lifts_global_pc_shipments/
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/20/copilot_viva_insights_column/
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/16/windows_11_update_localhost/
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/15/schleswig_holstein_open_source/
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/14/protest_outside_microsoft_brussels/
[6] https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/release-health/status-windows-11-25H2
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/16/windows_11_update_localhost/
[8] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aPZclQ2mWQCjByKcF8ccbwAAAMQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[9] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: The question is...
Hey! I didn't realise it had reached alpha -- (I thought they were still "designing" it)
Re: The question is...
We know that they sacked all their quality assurance testers back in 2014 but they should at least still be testing Win 11 releases on a wide range of equipment to reduce the chances of rogue updates like this one.
Knowing MS, they will soon release their patch with instructions that it can only be installed when booted in Recovery Mode...
Instruction:
"Press F2 to continue"
Presumably MS is using Copilot to write bits of Win11
Copilot don't need no frickin' keyboards.
Re: Presumably MS is using Copilot to write bits of Win11
Yes, this is what the fine AI-coded future looks like. Better wait for the next update after which the computer starts humming new tunes through cycling screen update frequencies and shows subliminal messages.
Re: Presumably MS is using Copilot to write bits of Win11
"humming new tunes"
Or singing "Daisy daisy"
Re: Presumably MS is using Copilot to write bits of Win11
This is a classic case of forgetting to add "This time ensure the update works." at the end of the prompt.
The icing on the cake ...
if the next update stuffs a critical Windows component so that it must bring up this defective WinRE.
I assume you can boot off install media (or netboot ?) — my recent experiences with windows are fortunately restricted to the application of Windex® .
Re: The icing on the cake ...
Fortunately, you should still be able to UEFI boot directly, unless Microsoft fuck up even more spectacularly.
Re: The icing on the cake ...
unless Microsoft fuck up even more spectacularly
I definitely wouldn't bet against that.
PS/2 keyboards unaffected..
But how many Win11-capable machines have a PS/2 port?
Probably the only ones that do are the VMs in Microsoft's QA department, if that even exists at all anymore
Re: PS/2 keyboards unaffected..
"in Microsoft's QA department, if that even exists at all anymore"
I think this and other failures can tell that it doesn't exist now. A chap of a more philosophical persuasion might ask whether it ever did.
Re: PS/2 keyboards unaffected..
I thought the same thing - everything is USB. I was pretty sure even the built-in HID devices are USB.
However, I just pulled up Device Manager, for the laptop I'm using (Lenovo ThinkPad), and checked the trackpad. It identifies as a "Synaptics Pointing Device" and reports the location as "plugged into PS/2 mouse port". It seems that there might be some PS/2 devices, even if there isn't the external port.
Going from bad to worse
See title.....
Re: Going from bad to worse
What would you like to build today?
Re: Going from bad to worse
M$ must REALLY despise their "customers" ;)
Best bit is those "customers" seem to hate the alternatives even more.
Sunakered
Windows got Sunakered or actual disaster is yet to happen?
I am waiting for Copilot to ask me if I considered job in finance.
If a machine is old enough to have a PS/2 port
itt's too old for Win11.
Hmm. I wonder if this affects built-in Bluetooth. I no longer have a Win11 machine hat can be deployed to test this. And if I did, I probably wouldn't care enough to try.
I know I've got my trusty ...
Linux rescue disk lying around here somewhere.
But then again, why bother? This one's clearly done—somebody, stick a fork in it.
What, you can't do that? What the hell, just nuke it then and load up something usable.
Sheeesh!
Microsoft, you've done it again, and again, and again, ...
Long time Linux user (1991), I left Windows at 7, never looked back. The only reason I used W7 was for gaming and that came to an abrupt halt when different games wanted different versions of Direct X. W7 didn't like that at all so no more gaming either. Lots of modern motherboards, at least on AM4 MBs, have an integrated keyboard/mouse PS2 connector. I have had problems with a couple of adapters that split out that connector to separate keyboard and mouse connectors not working at all so?
The question is...
Will windows 11 get out of Alpha, into Beta, before it's EOLed...