Microsoft Offers Windows 11 Emergency Fixes Following Buggy January Update

Microsoft's January 2026 security update for Windows 11 has triggered some highly disruptive system issues, users report. As a result, Microsoft rushed this weekend to release emergency updates that fix some problems, but not others.

On Jan. 13, the company published Windows 11 updates KB5073455 and KB5074109, which were said to resolve 114 issues. But users quickly found that the updates caused their own problems with shutdown operations, remote desktop access, and Outlook functionality.

Regarding shutdown disruptions, affected PCs appear to be limited to those running Windows 11 23H2 Enterprise or IoT editions with System Guard Secure Launch enabled. When users click "Shut Down" or "Hibernate," the system restarts instead. General Windows 11 users running versions 24H2 and 25H2 also report a bug involving Remote Desktop Protocol authentication that prevented them from accessing Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365. Finally, a third confirmed issue freezes Outlook Classic for users ...