April's Windows 11 update reportedly causes blue screens and boot loops on HP and Dell PCs

Microsoft Windows 11 — (Image credit: Microsoft)

Keeping up to date with drivers, fresh fixes, and security patches is key to keeping your gaming PC running smoothly—that is, until an OS update seemingly breaks everything. Case in point, a number of Dell and HP users found their diligent efforts to stay on top of Windows 11 updates rewarded with blue screens and boot loops.

Following April's KB5083769 update for Windows 11, several users took to Microsoft's Q&A support forum to report the issue. Those affected have reported seeing "a mosaic of weird pixels" upon initially booting after the update, followed by a blue screen and a boot loop where their machine would keep attempting and failing to repair the issue (via PC World).

Another poster claims that three people in their company have been hit by the problem, and that in one case, the employee's recovery environment is "so messed up I can't get them into it." Exceedingly unlucky machines like this aside, uninstalling the latest quality update via recovery tools and pausing updates altogether has fixed the issue for some. Even then, some users report their OS is seemingly determined to install the KB5083769 update.

It's just as well Windows 11 machines now let you skip updates during first-time set-up. Speaking of booting up fresh devices, Microsoft is apparently also "working on" removing the requirement to log in to one of its online accounts, too.

Saying it cares "deeply about Windows and [wants] it to be better," Microsoft has been attempting to rebuild user goodwill in a number of ways. That has included pumping the brakes on its AI feature rollout and pivoting to a more "intentional" strategy when it comes to Copilot integration.

Unfortunately, for those unlucky enough to have suffered the KB85083769 update fumble, the road to rebuilding their trust in Microsoft has just got a whole lot bumpier.

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Jess has been writing about games for over ten years, spending a significant chunk of that time working on print publications PLAY and Official PlayStation Magazine. When she’s not investigating all things hardware here, she's either constructing a passionate defence of a 7/10 game, daydreaming about her debut novel, or feeling wistful about the last time she chased some nerds around a field with an oversized foam sword.

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