Microsoft’s latest update, KB5051987, aimed to bring important security fixes and quality-of-life improvements to Windows 11 24H2. However, users who installed the cumulative February update are experiencing numerous problems, including download failures, camera restrictions, and a completely unusable File Explorer.
Some users are reporting that their File Explorer has become unresponsive, making it impossible to open folders or access content. Even system restores and reinstallations don’t seem to resolve the issue. Additionally, some users are stuck in an hours-long update loop, unable to download and install the update.
Camera problems have also been reported, with users stating that the system cannot recognize their camera after installing the update. Other issues include performance drops while gaming, errors during app installations, and faulty preview animations in the taskbar.
Microsoft has released a fix for some of these issues, but others remain unaddressed. For users experiencing serious problems, uninstalling the update may be an option. To do this, go to Settings > Windows Update > Update history > Uninstall updates, then find the KB5051987 update and click Uninstall. Note that you’ll miss key security fixes until a future update is released.
In the meantime, Microsoft recommends giving your PC ample time to install the update and avoiding manual attempts to fix issues. For users affected by these problems, patience may be the only solution.
Source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/2611832/windows-11-february-update-breaks-file-explorer-and-more.html