Software update rollouts are usually staged for a reason—if something catastrophic happens, not everyone is instantly affected. In the case of Windows 11 24H2, there's an issue plaguing a small subset of PC owners.
Microsoft might be about to temporarily halt the rollout of its latest operating system update, Windows 11 24H2, for some users after reports of Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) errors emerged. The issue appears to be linked to specific Western Digital SSDs and their interaction with the updated storage drivers in 24H2. The Windows 11 24H2 update includes new File Explorer features, an updated Copilot experience, Wi-Fi 7 support, expanded availability for Voice Clarity audio, and much more.
Affected Windows users have reported encountering BSOD crashes with error messages related to NVMe storage drivers and RAID controllers. The problem seems to stem from how Windows 11 24H2 handles Host Memory Buffer (HMB) allocation for certain WD SSDs like the SN770 and SN580. While previous versions granted limited HMB, 24H2 allocates the full requested amount, thus triggering the crashes.
Microsoft has acknowledged the issue and is working with Western Digital to identify affected hardware configurations. Microsoft is even reportedly considering halting the update for affected users, but it's not clear if it has done so yet. If you have already updated and you are experiencing BSOD errors, you can try a temporary workaround by manually disabling HMB allocation in the registry. This may impact drive performance, but at least the BSOD errors might stop.
A permanent solution is expected from Microsoft and Western Digital soon. In the meantime, if you happen to have a WD SSDs, you should probably hold off on installing the update until the issue is resolved. We don't have a specific timeline on when we might see a new update pop up.
Source: WindowsLatest