Reportedly, This Latest Windows 11 update is causing large data burst writes to an SSD to be faults over time, resulting in SSD failures. Following the KB5063878 security patch, a number of report indicate that some SSDs stop working — mostly on Phison-controlled drives.
Windows 11 update issues are not new, this time it is storage drives in danger User reports claim that an SSD failure is experienced around 50GB of continuous data has been written. The drive is no longer listed in Windows 11 after that process is complete. You lose access to the partition after a restart, which makes it look like the SSD is gone forever.
The problem started after the release of the KB5063878 security update for Windows 11. It was first spotted while updating Cyberpunk 2077, by X (@Necoru_cat), whose SSD died mid-update.
Source: Microsoft Updated: THE Windows 11 release causes long sequential writes that kills SSDs, can’t queue dist-upgrade commands in the new terminal emulator—Testing internally confirmed that the Windows 11 update is causing SSD failures and it’s still a slow process if you want to run Linux apps natively on a DOE HPC system.
The following SSD models were listed by Niche PC Gamer as used in the reported cases system configurations, along with the Windows 11 update installed.
- Corsair Force MP600
- Phison PS5012-E12 controller-equipped SSD
- KIOXIA EXCERIA PLUS G4
- Fikwot FN955
- Affiliate Disclosure: We may earn a commision when you purchase this SanDisk Extreme PRO M.2 NVMe 3D SSD
The Windows 11 update problem appears to be specific to drives based on Phison hardware and not all models are impacted. It’s possible that the failures are due to a regression in storage drivers or kernel-level code added along with the security update, and which handles long sequential writes poorly. This lock-up causes the SSD controller to crash and the drive disappears from OS.
Mind you, Microsoft and SSD makers have yet to acknowledge this issue officially with Windows 11. As of this step, it is exclusive to inner tests and a few user reports. However, the fact that it happens during file transferring and with a big file transfer involved can be a threat to data integrity.
If you run a Windows 11 system with such an SSD, especially one with a Phison controller, consider refraining from writing large sequential files for the time being. Users are advised to ensure their datas are properly backed up and closely monitor any weird drive performance after installing the patch, until Microsoft fixes or acknowledges the mistake.
It appears that the Windows 11 update that is bricking SSDs has been fairly contained thus far, but it underscores the danger applying new security patches without properly testing them first.
FAQ
The Windows 11 KB5063878 update is said to be causing SSDs to crash during large file writes.
While the problem does seem to occur on mostly SSDs from Phison-based controllers, not all of their models are affected.
After becoming undetectable by Windows 11, the Netac Flash Drive is usually no longer reachable and Data Recovery tends to be failure.
Do not write large files (50 giB+ or so) to an affected SSD, frequently back up your data, and wait for Microsoft to release an official patch.
