KB5124008 issue

KB5124008 (26200.9445) prevents HyperX headphones from connecting/working

I am experiencing a reproducible audio/headphone issue after installing the 2026-09 Security Update (KB5124008), OS Build 26200.9445.

My computer is an ASUS TUF Gaming A16 (FA608UM) running Windows 11 Home 25H2.

The affected audio device appears in Device Manager as HyperX Virtual Surround Sound. Its currently installed driver information is:

Driver Provider: Microsoft

Driver Date: 04/09/2026

Driver Version: 10.0.26100.9444

Digital Signer: Microsoft Windows

After KB5124008 is installed, my headphones are no longer able to connect/work correctly with the computer.

I have already spent significant time troubleshooting this issue and eventually isolated KB5124008 as the cause. The behavior is reproducible:

KB5124008 installed → headphones stop connecting/working.

KB5124008 uninstalled → headphones work again.

Windows Update automatically reinstalls KB5124008 → the headphone problem immediately returns.

This has now happened multiple times. Uninstalling the update restores the functionality, but Windows Update automatically downloads and installs KB5124008 again, leaving me with the same problem.

I contacted Microsoft Support regarding the issue and was advised to report it here on Microsoft Tech Community.

I do not want to permanently disable Windows Update, particularly because KB5124008 is a security update. I would like either a fix for the regression introduced by this update or a way to temporarily prevent KB5124008 specifically from reinstalling while continuing to receive other Windows updates.

Given that removing and reinstalling the exact same update consistently changes whether the headphones work, this appears to be a regression associated with KB5124008 rather than a hardware failure.

System information:

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 FA608UM

Windows 11 Home

Version 25H2

OS Build 26200.9445

AMD Ryzen 7 260 with Radeon 780M Graphics

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop GPU

16 GB RAM

HyperX Virtual Surround Sound

Microsoft audio driver 10.0.26100.9444 dated 04/09/2026

I can provide additional Device Manager information, hardware IDs, Event Viewer logs, or other diagnostics if required.

I would appreciate it if this issue could be investigated, as I am currently forced to choose between keeping the latest Windows security update installed and having functional headphones.