Summary
A recent Windows 11 update (KB5063878, released 12 August 2025, and preview KB5062660) has been linked to unexpected failures of solid-state drives (SSDs) and, in rare cases, hard drives. The issue has been widely reported by users and confirmed by both Microsoft and SSD manufacturer Phison.
Until a fix is released, Approved Systems recommends all customers take extra precautions to protect their data and devices.
What’s Happening?
The problem appears when large amounts of data (often 50GB or more) are written to drives that are already more than 60% full. Under these conditions, some SSDs have disappeared from Windows, shown up as “RAW” partitions, or become inaccessible altogether.
While some drives recover after a reboot, others may suffer permanent data corruption or fail completely.
Who Is Affected?
- Not all systems are affected.
- SSDs using certain controllers (especially some Phison-based and DRAM-less models) are more vulnerable.
- Heavy workloads such as video editing, game installations, or moving large archives increase the risk.
How Approved Systems is Responding
- MSP clients: We have paused rollout of the affected updates through our management platform. Systems already updated are being closely monitored. Once Microsoft provides a tested patch, we will deploy it across managed devices.
- Non-MSP customers: If you have already installed the update manually, we strongly recommend ensuring you have current backups, avoiding large file transfers, and pausing further updates until the issue is resolved.
Recommended Actions
- Avoid large continuous file writes (>50GB) until a fix is available.
- Back up critical files immediately and regularly.
- If your drive becomes inaccessible, power down the system and contact support before attempting further repairs.
Stay Updated
Approved Systems will keep all MSP clients informed as Microsoft releases updates. If you are not currently an MSP customer but would like to be notified when a fix is available, please contact us.
References
For more detail, see independent reports from:
⚠️ Approved Systems is committed to proactively protecting our customers from emerging risks. Please reach out if you need assistance safeguarding your Windows 11 devices.