US EditionWindows 11 Boot Failures Tied to January Tied to Jan Updates
Some Windows 11 devices encounter startup failure after January 2026 updates, requiring manual recovery; Microsoft says only a limited number of devices are affected.
- Tuesday, Microsoft is investigating reports that its January 2026 security updates are leaving some Windows 11 machines stuck in a boot loop showing an `UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME` stop code and a black restart prompt.
- Reports first surfaced in user forums where machines stopped booting after the January 2026 updates; Microsoft says it has few reports and is still investigating.
- On affected machines running 24H2 and 25H2, engineers found systems cannot complete startup and require manual recovery, with no server editions affected and no reports on virtual machines.
- Affected users face downtime and manual repairs, and Microsoft urges customers and businesses experiencing failures to contact business support or submit reports through the Feedback Hub.
- The issue follows other January stability problems including a Secure Launch bug, Windows app credential failures, and an Outlook issue earlier this month, while Ask Woody notes unusual boot failure patterns.
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14 Articles
According to Microsoft, the Windows 11 January update KB5074109 causes startup and boot problems with UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME errors on some PCs. In addition, additional system and app errors occur - some hotfixes are already available.
On January 13, 2026, Microsoft released the now infamous KB5074109 patchday update for Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2, which caused numerous problems with the system. From problems with cloud services in Explorer, to Outlook problems with POP accounts and PST files, remote desktop errors, sleep mode problems to a store license error that prevented app startups, the update seemed to have been delivered with almost any bug. After all, the company has re…
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