Windows 11 25H2 October Update Bug Renders Recovery Environment Unusable

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Bug impact and scope

  • Update reportedly breaks mouse/keyboard input in Windows Recovery Environment, making recovery tools and third‑party rescue media (e.g., Veeam USB) unusable for some.
  • One commenter notes it also affects 24H2, but says a later patch (KB5070773) restores WinRE input “so far.”
  • Others see failed 25H2 installs that loop at ~38% and roll back, with no clear error and repeated attempts consuming time and making systems unusable during retries.

Perceived decline in Windows quality

  • Several users describe a pattern of serious regressions in recent Windows 11 updates: broken Bluetooth, password‑protected file shares, keyboard behavior over Remote Desktop, and Intune screen-timeout policies.
  • Searchability of fixes is called out as poor; long histories of similar issues obscure current root causes.
  • Some blame offshored development, loss of dedicated QA, KPI pressure, and “AI everywhere” priorities; others mock “vibe coding” and say devs now do minimal testing.
  • A few respondents, however, note that some regressions are fixed within weeks via follow‑up updates.

Update strategy, security, and trust

  • Many express decreasing willingness to update: updates are seen as risky, slow, and bundled with unwanted features, ads, and AI integration.
  • Workarounds include fully disabling Windows Update by revoking permissions on update-related DLLs or pinning to specific versions (e.g., 23H2).
  • Security professionals in the thread warn that deferring security updates is dangerous, but others argue that Microsoft’s update model leaves users little choice given the breakage.
  • Some argue security and feature updates should be cleanly separable; abuse of the update channel for bloat/telemetry is seen as “boiling the frog.”

Migration pressures and alternatives

  • Multiple commenters report moving to Linux (Fedora, Arch-based, Mint, Kubuntu) or planning to, citing better stability, control, and community-driven tooling (e.g., KDE Connect, Dolphin).
  • Lock‑in factors keeping people on Windows: Office/Office 365 (especially legal/compliance workflows), AD/GPO/365 compliance tooling, specific accounting plugins, DirectX/DRM/anticheat‑protected games, and drivers.
  • macOS is viewed as the main corporate alternative today; widespread Linux desktop adoption is seen as possible but slower, partly due to admin skill sets and compliance expectations.