Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

The Windows 11 2022 Update could slow down file transfers by 40%

Microsoft has acknowledged a new issue regarding computers running the Windows 11 2022 Update (or version 22H2). The problem may cause performance degradation when copying large multi-GB files by up to 40%.

“There is a performance regression in 22H2 when copying larger files from a remote computer down to a Windows 11 computer,” explained a blog post by Ned Pyle, the Principal Program Manager from the Windows Server engineering group. “A large (multi-GB file) might see as much as 40% less throughput over SMB when copying down (reading). Copying that same file to a non-22H2 machine (writing) won’t see this problem.”

Person sitting and using an HP computer with Windows 11.
Microsoft

There is a temporary workaround to this bug, though. In his post, Pyle suggested that affected users should run copy operations using robocopy or xcopy with the /J (unbuffered I/O) parameter. This will, apparently, restore the throughput of the previous version of Windows 11. The company also says that it’s working to address the issue in a future update.

Pyle notes that the problem is not exclusively related to the SMB protocol, as Windows 11 users may also experience the same slowdown while copying large local files.

This latest issue is one of the few related to the Windows 11 2022 Update. Last month, after the upgrade, PC games saw issues such as stuttering and frame rate drops. Nvidia was quick to release a fix. Around the same time, Microsoft also confirmed the update preventing some printers from working properly.

The Windows 11 2022 Update is the first major update to Microsoft’s latest version of its operating system. The Windows 11 update is currently available to both Windows 11 and Windows 10 machines.

Editors' Recommendations

Aaron Leong
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Aaron enjoys all manner of tech - from mobile (phones/smartwear), audio (headphones/earbuds), computing (gaming/Chromebooks)…
The latest Windows update is breaking VPN connections
Windows Update running on a laptop.

Microsoft has acknowledged that the Windows security updates for April 2024 (KB5036893 for Windows 11, KB5036892 for Windows 10) are causing disruptions to virtual private network (VPN) connections across various client and server platforms. According to information on the Windows health dashboard, devices running Windows may experience VPN connection failures following the installation of either the April 2024 security update or the April 2024 non-security preview update.

The company has also stated that it is actively investigating user reports regarding these issues and will share more details in the coming days. The impacted Windows versions include Windows 11, Windows 10, and Windows Server 2008 onward.

Read more
Windows 11 might nag you about AI requirements soon
Copilot on a laptop on a desk.

After recent reports of new hardware requirements for the upcoming Windows 11 24H2 update, it is evident that Microsoft is gearing up to introduce a bunch of new AI features. A new report now suggests that the company is working on adding new code to the operating system to alert users if they fail to match the minimum requirements to run AI-based applications.

According to Albacore on X (formerly known as Twitter), systems that do not meet the requirements will display a warning message in the form of a watermark. After digging into the latest Windows 11 Insider Build 26200, he came across requirements coded in the operating system for an upcoming AI File Explorer feature. The minimum requirement includes an ARM64 processor, 16GB of memory, 225GB of total storage, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite NPU.

Read more
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.

Read more