The problems introduced by Windows 11 KB5013943 (May 2022 Patch Tuesday) are pretty serious: it’s crashing computers with Blue Screen of Death if they rely on certain drivers required for apps like antivirus.
For those unaware, KB5013943 (May 2022) was released on May 10 and it’s an automatic security update, meaning some users don’t have a choice whether to download and install it and they run into critical errors like BSODs or app crashes. The problem is also present in the update for those using Windows 10, but it’s worse on Windows 11.
This cumulative update was released to fix a number of issues and bugs in Windows 11, however, it seems like Windows 11 KB5013943 is causing the dreaded Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) on some systems with specific drivers, including those that support antivirus software.
Sophos has confirmed that Windows 11 KB5013943 patch for the operating system is causing Blue Screen of Death i.e stop error codes that make the desktop unresponsive, due to compatibility issues between drivers and May 2022 Patch Tuesday.
A user who encountered the Blue Screen of Death errors described their problem in the Microsoft Answers forum and Reddit, with one user stating “ever since updating to this build, getting BSOD 10-15 minutes into playing Hitman 3. The blue screen shows for literally 1 second, so I can’t even see what error it is showing”.
Another user added that they experienced Blue Screen errors with vague error codes like “APC_INDEX_MISMATCH” on their primary and secondary machines, including the virtual machines.
Affected users have claimed that the BSOD is triggered immediately after their devices are updated to the latest version.
While Microsoft has yet to acknowledge the reports of the Blue Screen of Death error hitting Windows 11 machines, Sophos confirmed that the update could make your device unbootable.
“Customers on Windows 11 running Sophos Home may encounter a BSOD/Stop error after installing Windows Update KB5013943 and restarting their machines,” Sophos noted in their support documents.
“The symptoms involve being unable to get to the desktop after restarting the computer/shutting down powering it back on post-installation of Windows Update KB5013943. This includes a Stop Error Index Mismatch message (Blue Screen),” the security firm noted.
To fix the BSOD errors, Sophos recommends uninstalling the update by following these steps:
- Pause Windows updates to prevent the update from installing.
- Select Start > Settings > Windows Update.
- Pause updates for 7 days.
- Open Control Panel.
- Click Programs And Features.
- Click View installed updates
- Look for KB5013943 and uninstall it.
In another update to the support document, Sophos confirmed that they have released their own update to minimize the impact of Blue Screen of Death.
However, as mentioned above, it’s likely that devices not using Sophos are also running into Blue Screen of Death errors and users are still waiting for a fix from Microsoft.