Some Windows 11 machines are still throwing out-of-memory errors and unhandled exception crashes after the March 2026 security update, even after installing out-of-band fixes KB5085516 and KB5086672. If Chrome, GIMP, or Nvidia overlay are still going down, here is what to do.

What's Still Happening

The March 10 security update KB5079473 triggered stability issues on Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2. Microsoft pushed two out-of-band patches since:

  • KB5085516 fixed Microsoft account sign-in failures in Teams and other apps
  • KB5086672 bundled additional fixes from the March cycle

Neither patch fully resolved out-of-memory crashes in GPU-heavy or memory-intensive apps. Chrome tabs, GIMP operations, and Nvidia overlay are still getting hit. A full stability fix is expected in the April 14 Patch Tuesday release.

Apps Most Commonly Affected

  • Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers
  • GIMP and graphics tools with large canvas operations
  • Nvidia GeForce Overlay
  • Some DirectX 12 applications
  • Apps allocating large memory blocks on startup

Workarounds to Try Now

Run SFC and DISM

Open an elevated Command Prompt and run:

sfc /scannow

Then:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Reboot after both complete. This repairs any system file damage KB5079473 may have introduced.

Clean-install Nvidia drivers

Use Display Driver Uninstaller to fully remove the existing driver before reinstalling. A clean install removes corrupted state that the March update can leave behind. Get the latest driver from Nvidia's driver page.

If you don't have DDU, the manual path works too: go to Device Manager, uninstall the display adapter with "delete driver software" checked, reboot to safe mode, then install the fresh driver.

Repair affected apps

For Chrome: go to Settings > Apps, find Google Chrome, and select Repair or Modify.

For GIMP and other standalone tools: a fresh uninstall and reinstall is more reliable than a repair when OOM errors are persistent.

Cut startup memory pressure

Disable non-essential startup apps in Task Manager. This reduces the chance of hitting OOM conditions during early login while the underlying issue is still present.

What's Coming April 14

Microsoft's April Patch Tuesday is scheduled for April 14. The cumulative update is expected to address lingering stability issues from the March cycle. Install it as soon as it's available on affected machines.

Track current known issues at the Windows 11 24H2 resolved issues page.

Still cleaning up after March Patch Tuesday across your fleet? Rain City Techworks handles Windows update management and remediation for businesses in the Seattle-Tacoma area. Get in touch if you need help.