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Windows 10 BSOD: Pricey Surface Book 2s bricked by latest 1803 update

Sleuthing Surface Book 2 owners figure out Microsoft's latest Windows 10 update is to blame for Blue Screen of Death woes.
Written by Liam Tung, Contributing Writer

Bugs in Microsoft's latest cumulative Windows 10 update have left Surface Book 2 owners suspicious that Microsoft isn't properly testing its software on its own flagship hardware.

Just two months after Consumer Reports reinstated its 'recommended' rating for the Surface Book 2, Microsoft's software updates threaten to unravel trust in the Surface brand and, in the process, annoy consumers who paid around $3,000 for the flagship Surface Book 2.

People on Microsoft's answers forum and on Reddit are complaining about Blue Screen of Death, or BSOD, issues that began occurring after installing cumulative update, KB4467682, released last Tuesday for Windows 10 version 1803.

Affected systems are reporting the error code 'SYSTEM THREAD EXCEPTION NOT HANDLED', according to users.

While several users on one Reddit thread have remedied the issue by uninstalling KB4467682, users on another Reddit thread report that uninstalling the update bricks the pricey Microsoft convertible. Users are reporting that devices are also experiencing BSOD during the reboot after uninstalling it.

Affected Surface Book 2 owners are feeling let down and many are wondering whether Microsoft isn't properly testing its software updates -- an issue it's come under fire for recently due to the data deletion bug in the Windows 10 1809 update.

"I was getting BSOD on my SB2 and narrowed it down to KB4467682. You would think it would be one of the first platforms they test the updates on because of the reputational risk of bricking their flagship hardware with their flagship software. Very disappointing," wrote one Reddit user.

SEE: Windows 10 April 2018 Update: An insider's guide (free PDF)

Another commented: "Well, for some reason removing the update bricked my Surface. Now I can't even get into the OS. Just have blue screens. I will have to reinstall windows. Windows really needs a review on their updates...".

As for why the devices become bricked after uninstalling the update, one user points to the possibility this is being caused by Surface Book 2 firmware updates that Microsoft released alongside the cumulative Windows update. The firmware updates included several Intel driver updates.

So far Microsoft hasn't commented on the issue aside from a Microsoft Agent on Monday who thanked a user for reporting the issue on Microsoft's answers forum. However, the post suggests Microsoft isn't any wiser about the cause of the BSOD issues than Surface Book 2 owners. The agent merely recommends resetting the device using a USB recovery image.

Users on Microsoft's forum are reporting that uninstalling the KB4467682 resolves the BSOD problem but breaks Windows Hello login.

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