Microsoft has confirmed that its latest September security update for Windows 11 is causing some audio-related problems, specifically on USB audio devices. The KB5124008 update has been linked to unresponsive sound controls and an outright absence of sound.
According to Microsoft, this update is breaking audio output on USB devices, where in some instances they fail to produce sound altogether. Other symptoms include absent or unresponsive volume controls, as well as unavailable audio settings. This issue seems to appear right after installing the September update, but it’s not systematically affecting every updated machine.
If you have audio problems and want to verify if it’s related to this new bug, you can check your Device Manager logs for the “This device cannot start (Code 10).” error. Windows Latest also received reports of affected mics, but Microsoft has yet to confirm this situation.
What the company has clarified is that this issue only affects USB Audio Class 1.0 (a universal standard for plug-and-play digital audio over USB) devices. This means that built-in motherboard analogue audio codecs and wireless headsets should be safe.
Note that trying to uninstall and reinstall your device driver does not fix the issue, since it’s a Windows Update-related bug. The fix must come from Microsoft, which has already announced that it’s working on it. In the meantime, the company has indicated that switching from 8-channel or 3D audio modes to stereo can be a temporary workaround while waiting for the fix.
The Windows 11 KB5124008 update is reportedly also causing gameplay issues, such as crashes, freezes, errors, and even unexpected device restarts on machines hooked up to RGB peripherals. These add to previous bugs documented by Windows Latest, which include black screens, broken File History backups, plus issues with Claude Cowork and Remote Desktop.
If you’re facing one of the above problems, make sure you report it to Microsoft to bring attention to it. Plus, if you have not yet installed the KB5124008 update, you may want to temporarily pause updates on your system.
