Microsoft's latest Patch Tuesday update is failing to install on some Windows 11 machines, mostly virtual ones, and dumping them into recovery mode with a boot error. Its only recommendation to avoid the problem for now is to dodge the update.
According to an advisory published on Wednesday, the problem affects Windows 11 versions 22H2 and 23H2, specifically during the installation of the May 13 update. Redmond says the issue is hitting a small number of devices, primarily virtual machines, including Azure Virtual Machines, Azure Virtual Desktop, and on-prem VMs hosted on Citrix or Hyper-V.
When the update fails, systems may land in recovery mode displaying this message:
"Your PC/Device needs to be repaired. The operating system couldn't be loaded because a required file is missing or contains errors. File: ACPI.sys. Error code: 0xc0000098."
The Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) is a power management spec handled in Windows by the ACPI.sys driver, which controls hardware resources and power states. It's the file triggering the recovery error during failed installation of the May update. It was once memorably described by Linus Torvalds as "a complete design disaster in every way."
Windows 11 Home users, even those on Pro editions, are unlikely to be affected, as VM use is mostly confined to enterprise setups.
However, Redmond also notes that in some cases, the same recovery issue may appear with a different system file name. This may be a reference to the 0x8007007e error, also related to file corruption, that some users have been reporting since the last Patch Tuesday.
Microsoft hasn't responded to questions about how many customers are affected and if there's a workaround other than removing the patches. In its advisory, it says its engineers are working on a fix.
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All in all, Redmond's had a rough year on the patching front. Earlier this month, it had to ship an emergency update to stop Windows 10 systems from booting into endless BitLocker recovery prompts.
After April's Patch Tuesday, some users became concerned about a mysterious Internet Information Services folder that appeared on their hard drives. Microsoft said this was intentional and part of a fix for a Windows Update vulnerability. But researchers later showed that non-admin users could exploit the folder setup to block future security updates, effectively turning the mitigation into a new attack surface.
And back in February, a flawed update to Windows 11 24H2 and Server 2025 left Remote Desktop sessions freezing shortly after connection. Mouse and keyboard input became unresponsive, and the only workaround was to disconnect and reconnect the session to restore control. ®
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