Forum Discussion
Windows 11 25H2 – Update KB506881 causes unexpected reboots (no BSOD, silent restart)
Hey everyone,
just wanted to report a serious issue I encountered with Windows 11 25H2 related to the update KB506881.
After installing KB506881 my PC randomly rebooted without warning — no BSOD, no crash report, no error on screen. Only the event log showed “unexpected shutdown / Kernel-Power (Event ID 41)”. Removing the update completely solved the issue. Since uninstalling it, my system has been 100% stable with zero unexpected restarts.
Reproducibility:
Install KB506881 → system performs unexpected shutdowns / reboots
Uninstall KB506881 → issue disappears immediately
System details:
Windows 11 25H2 (Build: 26200)
AMD Ryzen 7800X3D (but issue seems unrelated to hardware)
No BSOD / no memory dump / no bugcheck created
Reliability Monitor only shows “Unexpected Shutdown”
What I already did:
Removed KB506881 manually → issue gone
Blocked the update using PowerShell + scheduled task (hourly) to prevent Windows from reinstalling it
Logs:
Event Viewer → Windows Logs → System
Shows: Kernel-Power 41 (unexpected shutdown) immediately after KB506881 installation.
Has anyone else experienced unexpected reboots after KB506881?
If yes, please comment so Microsoft can see how widespread this is.
I also reported it via Microsoft Feedback Hub.
Thanks!
12 Replies
Hello,
I can report a similar pattern.
Since installing "2025-11 Security Update (KB5068861) (26200.7171)" I have had three "silent" reboots.
The only thing I can see is:
The previous system shutdown at 16:52:52 on 2025-11-15 was unexpected.
The previous system shutdown at 23:06:37 on 2025-11-14 was unexpected.
The previous system shutdown at 15:50:57 on 2025-11-14 was unexpected.
I will see if I can remove the above update to see if the PC is stable again.
Before this I have no recollection of any reboots at all.
Cheers!
Update - removed KB5068861 and my PC is stable again.
Hi!
How did you manage to uninstall KB506881? When I try to remove it through Settings > Windows Update > Update history, Windows tells me the update is “required” and therefore can’t be uninstalled.When I boot into Recovery Mode (WinRE), the patch doesn’t show up in the list of removable updates either.
I also tried System Restore as a last resort, but it messed up my installation and now the system is unstable.Could you explain exactly how you removed KB506881?
Thanks!I just did it like you describe your attemp. Tell me if you need help to remove it another way.
Hi I was able to remove KB506881 normally using the same DISM method you mentioned and in my case it was not marked as required Your issue can still be fixed Please run the following command in an elevated PowerShell
DISM /Online /Get-Packages | findstr KB506881Post the result here so we can identify the exact package name and find the correct removal command
Hi!
I was able to remove KB506881 normally using the same DISM method you described — in my case, it wasn’t marked as “required.”
But your issue can definitely still be solved.Could you run the following command in an elevated PowerShell:
DISM /Online /Get-Packages | findstr KB506881
Please post the output here.
With that, we can see the exact package name on your system and guide you to the correct removal command.
well here was my issue with the security update KB5068861 patch Tuesday and just to mention i have a brand new pc with windows 11 installed only two weeks old now, anyway all other updates downloaded and installed on my system just fine no problem there, at any rate i tried to download several times this update and to no avail it just would not install on my system, anyway to make this as short as possible i tried everything to no avail it would just not install, i got a little disturbed about this so i got a Microsoft Teck to take control of my pc and i have to mention he new his stuff this Microsoft technician there was no question there, what he did is this he downloaded win_11_25H2_english_64 disk image file and all was well after that it downloaded and installed in no time flat with no problem, the real problem for some unknown reason the security patch above would just not install but all went well after he did this and this is the first time i had to get a ms Teck to look at anything on all the windows operating systems pc's that i have had through the years, but just to mention again this tec guy new his stuff there's no dought about that ,anyway if anyone on the forums here have to go through doing this sometimes to elevate the frustrations, its the way go .
There are reports online that this update fails to install and this can happen sometimes and based on what you described the Microsoft technician fixed it by doing an in place upgrade but your case is different from the issue I described in my original post
You can find several reports online — including for this specific update — where the installation simply fails. Yes, this does happen from time to time.
From the way you described it, the Microsoft technician performed an in-place upgrade on your system, and that’s what ultimately fixed the issue for you. In cases where an update refuses to install, this is often the most effective solution.
However, your situation is not the same issue as the one described in my original post — it’s a different underlying problem.
Having same issue on intel hardware.
Yes, on my Surface Go 2, after applying KB5068861, I started to get unexpected restarts, one stating HEAP CORRUPTION, another MEMORY MANAGEMENT.
