- Windows 11 has been suffering with a bug that causes black-screen crashes for gamers with a 'security check failure' error
- Microsoft has admitted to the glitch, and tells us that it's now fixed
- The fix is in the most recent February update for Windows 11, alongside one for problems with connecting to certain Wi-Fi networks
Microsoft has confirmed that some Windows 11 gamers have been suffering from a bug that causes their PC to completely lock up — but the good news is that the February update packs a cure for this.
Windows Latest reports that the bug causes the dreaded Black Screen of Death (BSOD – which used to be blue, of course), whereby the system requires a restart. The telltale sign of this glitch is that the screen itself carries a 'Kernel Security Check Failure' error message.
The tech site notes that testers have also been running into this problem of late (although they get green-colored error screens), as well as those running the full version of Windows 11 — and this has been an issue in the distant past, too.
Windows Latest highlights a Microsoft Feedback Hub post with a complaint about Genshin Impact crashing, and there are Reddit posts about the problem, too (for example this one detailing issues with Marvel Rivals).
Microsoft says the problem is now resolved in the release notes for the February update: "[Graphics] Fixed: This update addresses an issue where certain GPU configurations might recently have experienced a system error related to dxgmms2.sys, resulting in the Kernel_Security_Check_Failure error."
Analysis: Wi-Fi-related side-effects and Microsoft's reputational issues
A good few reports of trouble with GPUs of late in Windows 11 have been focused on Nvidia graphics cards, with Team Green itself observing there was a problem with the January update causing not just black-screen crashes, but visual corruption of various kinds (like screen flickering).
However, Microsoft has indicated that all graphics cards may experience this particular black-screen error with the security check failure, so presumably AMD and Intel GPUs could also be hit by this unfortunate bug.
Not anymore, thankfully, since the February update has arrived. You should have been offered that upgrade by now, so if you are suffering black-screen crashes then it should be a priority to install. In fact, we saw this cure arrive in the January preview update at the end of last month (which, of course, is the beta of the February update — so it's not a shock that the fix was present here, and some of you may already have it if you grabbed that optional update).
That said, there's a twist in the tale here, because if you did install the January preview update, this had a fresh bug that stopped Windows 11 connecting to certain Wi-Fi networks using WPA3 (the cutting-edge wireless encryption standard).
So, if you've had difficulty hooking up to some Wi-Fi networks after installing that most recent optional update, you'll want to get the February update, which also fixes this WPA3 issue.
It's not the first time we've seen a fix applied, only for another bug to emerge (albeit only in preview this time). And gaming-related bugs certainly aren't new, and have been depressingly regular occurrences with Windows 11 since the 24H2 update, so this latest glitch won't help Microsoft's reputation in this regard — a reputation the company is hoping to repair this year, let's not forget...
➡️ Read our full guide to the best laptops
1. Best overall:
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M4
2. Best budget:
Asus Chromebook CM14
3. Best Windows 11 laptop
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch
4. Best gaming:
Razer Blade 16
5. Best for pros
MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro)
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