- Windows 11 updates KB5062660 and KB5063878 are not causing consumer SSDs to fail or become bricked.
- Failures reported online were traced to engineering firmware on review units, not retail drives, but this is not the full story.
- Phison confirms that consumer SSDs remain safe, and slowdowns under heavy writes are normal behavior that can be resolved with a Secure Erase.
A Taiwanese hardware review outlet, PCDIY, has shed new light on recent claims that Windows 11 updates were bricking Solid State Drives (SSDs). According to their tests, conducted alongside engineers from storage controller maker Phison, the failures were traced to engineering sample firmware, not consumer drives currently on the market.
Why Windows 11 SSD failures made headlines
Soon after releasing the August 2025 Security Update as a preview (KB5062660) and then as the final version (KB5063878), reports started to surface online about certain SSDs failing under sustained write loads of roughly 50GB (and higher), particularly when the drive is over 60 percent full, sparking concerns about a widespread issue.
PCDIY (via Reddit) ran extensive tests, including high-stress file writes of 100GB and 1TB workloads, and encountered failures on review units, including:
- Corsair Force Series MP600 2TB (Phison PS5016-E16-32)
- Silicon Power US70 2TB (Phison PS5016-E16-32)
Another consumer sample, the Apacer AS2280F4 2TB (Phison PS5016-E26-52), slowed dramatically during continuous writes but did not fail outright.
How Phison and PCDIY traced the problem
Phison, which had logged more than 4500 hours of internal testing without encountering such issues, sent four engineers to PCDIY’s lab, and their tests on retail versions of the same SSDs could not replicate the failures. Microsoft has also confirmed that it performed tests, but the company was unable to trace the problem to the cumulative update in question.
The key discovery was that the bricked Corsair and SP drives had been running media samples of pre-production engineering firmware, not the validated firmware that ships with consumer retail units.
What Windows 11 users need to know
Upon examining this information, the conclusion is that retail devices using the final intended firmware version are not affected by the critical bug found in engineering samples.
Additionally, Phison has confirmed that slowdowns are expected under heavy write conditions. Once the SLC cache and over-provisioned space fill up, SSDs write directly to TLC/QLC NAND, which is slower. This behavior is normal across modern SSDs.
If you want to resolve this performance issue, a simple hard drive format won’t restore speeds. You should perform a Secure Erase using the manufacturer’s software or motherboard UEFI tools (such as those on ASUS or ASRock boards) to refresh the drive and regain full performance.
Final takeaway on the Windows 11 SSD issue
Despite initial concerns, Windows 11 updates are not causing retail SSDs to fail. The issue was isolated to review units running experimental firmware, and the consumer drives remain safe, and any performance degradation under extreme workloads can be reversed with a proper secure wipe.
However, PCDIY emphasizes that they cannot yet completely rule out the possibility that the cumulative update for Windows 11 in question has contributed to the problem.
It’s important to note that this doesn’t answer all the questions. For example, I know you may still be wondering about the issue of drives disappearing from systems.
For this specific scenario, I can only say that the tests that were conducted indeed revealed a problem with the pre-production firmware. However, I can only assume that the tests didn’t cover all the different storage options available, so it’s unclear if other drives are affected in a different way.
Also, in the same Reddit thread, some users remain skeptical because they have reported personal system crashes or disappearing drives after installing the August Windows 11 updates. They believe firmware isn’t the only factor and suspect Microsoft’s patches may still play a role under certain conditions.
Other users argued manufacturers should publish the exact firmware versions tested so consumers can verify if their drives match. Some also raised concerns about counterfeit SSDs being sold online, which could potentially complicate the situation.
Furthermore, we also have a video from JayzTwoCents that claims he was able to replicate the issue, but on a drive that wasn’t even one of the known drives with this issue.
If you have previously uninstalled the update KB5063878 (build 26100.4946), it’s still recommended to wait a little longer before reapplying the update, at least until we have the answer to all the questions.
In addition, regardless of the resolution to this problem, it remains important to maintain a full backup of your computer on an external drive. You should also combine this backup with a file backup to the cloud or another storage, as you never know when another update or a piece of hardware may fail.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert and founder of Pureinfotech in 2010. With over 22 years as a technology writer and IT Specialist, Mauro specializes in Windows, software, and cross-platform systems such as Linux, Android, and macOS.
Certifications: Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA), Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP), VMware Certified Professional (VCP), and CompTIA A+ and Network+.
Mauro is a recognized Microsoft MVP and has also been a long-time contributor to Windows Central.
You can follow him on YouTube, Threads, BlueSky, X (Twitter), LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].