- Windows 11’s January Update has a new bug
- This reportedly causes hibernation on some older PCs
- The bug also locks up the system, requiring a hard reset – although there is a possible workaround you can try to fix it
Windows 11 has run into several problems with its latest update, and now some users are suffering from a bug that affects hibernation.
Windows Latest reports that a number of Windows 11 users are experiencing Hibernation no longer working after installing the January Update (KB5074109, which was released a little over a week ago).
This relates to what is known as the S3 hibernation mode, which is the original hibernation mode for Windows, so it won’t affect newer PCs (as they don’t use this, and I’ll get back to why shortly). In this sleep mode, everything is turned off (screen, processor, even the system fans) except the RAM, which stays alive (maintaining whatever you’re doing).
According to one user, the problem is as follows: “After installing KB5074109, hibernation does not work. When you go to Power and press Sleep, the screen goes blank, but the PC does not turn off. The only way to get the PC to restart is to do a hard restart, i.e. holding the power button on the PC until it turns off, then restart. This happens in sleep mode.”
There are similar reports on Reddit and elsewhere, and unfortunately, as described, this is not just about hibernation not kicking in, but also the fact that the PC actually crashes and needs a hard reboot to recover.
Another Windows 11 user notes that the problem has affected three of their PCs (one running Windows 11 Home and two using Pro editions of the operating system). They also note that the problem goes away when the January update is removed and returns when reinstalled, suggesting that this is definitely an issue with KB5074109.
Analysis: sleepless computers
The S3 hibernation mode only affects older PCs because newer devices running Windows 11 will use modern standby instead. So, as mentioned, if you have a PC that was bought this decade, you probably won’t run into problems with sleep, and certainly not with your laptop – all modern notebook models have switched to modern standby (known as S0 ‘lower power idle’). This may not be the case with all desktop computers from this decade – for example, my computer is five years old and still uses S3 hibernation.
But for the most part, if you have a newer machine, you’ll likely avoid this gremlin in the works. Those with an older PC who are encountering problems may simply need to avoid using Hibernation – which is hardly ideal, although there is a potential workaround you can try.
According to a Feedback Hub post spotted by Windows Latest, one possible solution is that if you have a USB webcam connected to your PC, you can try unplugging it. That might just do the trick – but otherwise there are no other suggestions on how to work around this error.
This latest reported bug with the January update comes on top of issues with the classic Outlook app (with POP accounts) causing it to freeze and a bug that means some PCs won’t shut down. The latter is nasty, but it only affects business users with a certain feature enabled, so thankfully it’s not something your average person needs to worry about.
A third bug that Microsoft has acknowledged is an issue with remote desktop connections not working, although the good news is that hotfixes have been implemented for the latter two issues – hopefully fixes will be in place for the Outlook issue, as well as the sleep bug, soon.
Finally, I’ve also noticed some user complaints about strange issues with their keyboard and mouse after installing the January update. All in all, it is not a good start to the year for Microsoft.
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