Microsoft’s latest Windows 10 patch is wreaking havoc on some users PCs. Unfortunately Windows 10 is under a witches’ curse, never to release a bug-free update ever again, and the latest September 10 update to 1903 intended to solve some problems in the system has instead been found to wipe out network connectivity and some in-game audio for a number of users.
Users across Reddit have reported that their network adaptors are no longer extant once the latest cumulative update from Microsoft is installed (via Windows Latest). And even reinstalling the drivers manually will not bring them back from the abyss.
Not to worry, if you’ve been affected by the driver mix-up and have lost connectivity – and are reading this thanks to mobile data – then Microsoft currently recommends disabling and re-enabling the device from with Device Manager. This will potentially restore connectivity for that session (re: you’ll need to do this every boot). However, a more permanent solution is to rollback your Windows 10 install to the previous build while Microsoft works on a fix.
Microsoft is currently aware of a fault affecting NEC devices running Intel Centrino 6205/6235 and Broadcom 802.11ac WiFi cards, yet the extent of the issue reported by users online appears to go further than the named devices. We’ll have to wait and see if Microsoft confirms any further issue.
Similarly, the update has also broken the Start Menu, Action Center, and some in-game audio. The latter is especially noteworthy for us lot, as it can lead to game audio sounding quieter than expected, or even a little weird.
“At the request of some of our audio partners, we implemented a compatibility change that enabled certain games to query support and render multi-channel audio. Due to customer feedback, we are reverting this change as some games and some devices are not rendering multi-channel audio as expected. This may result in games sounding different than customers are used to and may have missing channels.”
Microsoft hopes to fix the bug by late September. But if you’re experience the issue right now, Microsoft recommends disabling multi-channel audio in-game or via a third-party control panel.
All in all, if you haven’t updated to the latest update just yet then you best hold off until Microsoft has gone over the update with a fine-tooth comb for any further bugs.