KB5077181 dropped on February 11, 2026 as part of Patch Tuesday. It targets Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2, pushing builds to 26200.7840 and 26100.7840. For a lot of people, it also broke their computer.

Symptoms

Reports started piling up within hours of deployment:

  • PC stuck in an infinite restart loop after the update
  • SENS error at the login screen: "a specified procedure could not be found"
  • WiFi and Ethernet show "connected" but nothing loads (DHCP failure, no IP routing, no DNS)
  • Some machines restart 15+ times before landing on a broken login screen

Root cause

KB5077181 includes Secure Boot certificate updates for certs expiring later in 2026. The changes to the boot path and UEFI interact badly with certain OEM firmware, third-party preboot modules, and some niche drivers.

Microsoft hasn't officially acknowledged the boot loop or DHCP issues as of February 15, 2026. The problems hit specific hardware configurations rather than all systems, which is probably why they haven't pulled the update yet.

If you can reach the desktop

If Windows boots (even with broken networking), uninstalling is simple:

  1. Open Control Panel > Programs and Features
  2. Click "View installed updates"
  3. Find KB5077181 and click Uninstall
  4. Reboot

After it comes back up, pause updates to prevent re-installation: Settings > Windows Update > Pause updates. Give it at least 5 weeks.

If you're stuck in a boot loop

Can't get to the desktop? You need Windows Recovery Environment.

  1. Force-interrupt boot 3 times (kill power as the Windows logo appears) to trigger WinRE
  2. Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Uninstall Updates
  3. Choose "Uninstall latest quality update"
  4. Let it run and reboot

If the graphical option doesn't work or isn't available, open Command Prompt from Advanced Options instead:

wusa /uninstall /kb:5077181 /quiet /norestart

Then restart manually.

If networking is broken but Windows boots fine

PC starts up but nothing connects? Open Command Prompt as admin and run:

ipconfig /release
ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /renew
netsh winsock reset

Reboot after running those. If connectivity still doesn't come back, uninstall KB5077181 using the desktop method above. Something in the update's DHCP stack changes doesn't play well with certain network adapters.

After uninstalling

Pause Windows Update for at least 5 weeks. In managed environments, block KB5077181 via WSUS, Intune, or Group Policy until Microsoft ships a corrective update.

Watch the Windows 11 24H2 known issues page for official acknowledgment.

If broken updates are eating up your week, Rain City Techworks handles patch management, update testing, and recovery for businesses in the Seattle-Tacoma area.