If you use a VPN, don’t skip this important Windows 11 update

By Judy Sanhz May 16, 2024

A screenshot of the Windows Update screen. — Judy Sanhz / Digital Trends / Digital Trends

It’s not you; Windows is causing the issues this time. If the VPN on your Windows 11 or Windows 10 computer is having a hard time connecting, it is likely because of Microsoft’s April security updates for Windows 11 (KB5036893 for) and Windows 10 (KB5036892), which have been reported to be the cause of the problems.

But there’s good news. According to Microsoft, a patch is now available to fix the VPN problems users are experiencing.

The security updates KB5037771 for Windows 11 and KB5037768 for Windows 10 are available now and should be waiting for an update on your Windows computer.

As always, to update Windows, you can check for pending updates by going to Settings > Windows update > Check updates. Or, if you prefer a keyboard combination, you can try the Windows + I keys. Microsoft advises Windows users to download and install the newest security update for all their devices.

It doesn’t seem to be a widespread issue, and the affected Windows 11 users had the following versions: 23H2, 22H2, and 21H2. For Windows 10 users, the affected versions are only 22H2 and 21H2. This could have easily gotten out of control, but it’s a good thing it didn’t.

In the Microsoft notes, you’ll also see a fix for a Bitlocker KB5034204 error and a pending fix regrading updates to Microsoft Edge mistakenly makink the Copilot app appear in the installed app list in the settings menus. Amid all the controversy AI is causing, we hope that a fix for this Copilot problem is in the works too.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Computing Writer

Judy Sanhz is a Digital Trends computing writer covering all computing news. Loves all operating systems and devices.

Computing

The next big Windows 11 update has a new hardware requirement

Windows 11 device sitting on a stool.

Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 11 24H2 update is expected to arrive with yet another hardware requirement. Centered around SSE4.2 or Streaming SIMD Extensions 4.2, a crucial component for modern processors, the new Windows 11 24H2 with build 26080 will only boot on CPUs that support the instruction set.

This information comes from Bob Pony on X (previously known as Twitter), following earlier reports in February where he claimed that CPUs lacking support for the POPCNT instruction were no longer compatible with Windows 11. The updated requirement is essentially the same, except that they now mandate the entire SSE 4.2 instruction set instead of just the POPCNT instruction within it, as was previously required.

Computing

You’re going to hate the latest change to Windows 11

A laptop running Windows 11.

Just two weeks after rolling out a preview build to Windows Insiders, Microsoft is pushing out an update to Windows 11 that adds advertisements to the Start menu. Build KB5036980, which is now slowly rolling out to the wider Windows 11 user base, includes recommendations in the Start menu, and they sneakily sit beside your real apps.

These apps comes exclusively from the Microsoft store, and they sit in the Recommended section of the Start menu. This section includes recently used, frequent, and new apps, but one (or more) slots will now be dedicated to an ad. As the update reads: "The Recommended section of the Start menu will show some Microsoft Store apps. These apps come from a small set of curated developers. This will help you to discover some of the great apps that are available."

Computing

The most common Windows 11 problems and how to fix them

Person using Windows 11 laptop on their lap by the window.

With Windows 10 officially losing support next year, Windows 11 is poised to take over as the dominant operating system. Many users have already switched over to the latest Microsoft OS – and while it's not perfect, most are finding it to be a nice step forward from Windows 10. Of course, there are a few quirks people will have to get used to, but most of the bugs and technical issues have already been ironed out.

That's not to say Windows 11 is perfect. In fact, there are still a handful of common Windows 11 problems that people are encountering, including ones that cause no sound to play, network connections to be laggy, and games to run at less-than-optimal speeds. Thankfully, many of these issues are easy to resolve without extensive troubleshooting or the need to contact customer support.