Microsoft has released a relatively rare emergency patch for Windows 10, 11 and most recent Server editions. It's not a security issue, but rather a fix for some bugs introduced in the most recent scheduled update.

The new updates, formally titled an "out-of-band update" fixes several issues. The most prominent problem affects Remote Desktop Services, a tool used primarily for business networks where staff may not always be on a specific, on-site computer.

Since the September security patch, many administrators said they'd had big problems, including staff being unable to sign-in and servers being unreliable. Staff who did manage to get connected were finding problems accessing core functions such as File Explorer.

The biggest issue was that uninstalling the security update fixed these problems but then left systems at greater risk of being targeted through security weaknesses that are now public knowledge. (Source: bleepingcomputer.com)

Audio Glitch Fixes

Home users are more likely to have been affected by another new problem, affecting USB Audio Class 1.0 devices. The main glitch was that they worked in ordinary stereo mode but stopped working in any multi-channel modes such as simulated "3D" audio.

Most of these problems should be fixed after the update, though Microsoft is still working on some issues. In the meantime, users can switch to stereo to get the devices working again. ZDNet notes the relevant settings can be found at Control Panel -> Sound -> Playback and then selecting the relevant device and clicking "Configure". The stereo option will be found under "Audio Channels". (Source: zdnet.com)

Excel and Virtual Machines

Microsoft appears to still be working on a fix for a weird bug introduced to Excel with the recent update. It means pasting content into a document doesn't actually do anything. To make it worse, there's no error message or audible alert to show that something has gone wrong.

The other main problem tackled by the update should affect fewer people. It affects people who use Host Compute Services to run virtual machines through the Hyper-V system. The most common use case for this is people running Windows and Linux on the same machine.

What's Your Opinion?

Have you experienced any of these bugs after the recent Windows update? Do you think Microsoft should test their scheduled updates more thoroughly before release? How do you usually handle emergency patches on your personal or work computer?