Microsoft: Windows 11 Not to Blame for Recent SSD Issues

Last week, some Windows 11 users reported some serious issues with the SSDs in their PCs following the August Patch Tuesday update. And while these problems were generally attributed to that update, Microsoft now says that it is not to blame.

“After thorough investigation, Microsoft has found no connection between the August 2025 Windows security update and the types of hard drive failures reported on social media,” a new note in the Microsoft 365 Admin console Message Center reads. “As always, we continue to monitor feedback after the release of every Windows update, and will investigate any future reports.”

Well. There you go.

Or not: The issues remain, and so those who are impacted by these issues, which can range from drives disappearing from Windows to literal hardware failures in the worst-case scenario, still need to figure out a cause and then a resolution. Phison, a NAND controller maker, is among the companies still trying to figure this out. But to date, it’s been unable to replicate the issues, let alone find a solution.

And here’s some useless advice: Those with SSDs or other storage devices that are over 50 or 60 percent full are advised, seriously, to “avoid downloading, copying, or writing large files” for now. Good luck with that.