Microsoft Surface Book 2 Users Report Crashes and Bricked Devices Following Windows Update

Not too long after Microsoft had to withdraw its Windows 10 October 2018 update because of multiple major bugs, another issue has come to light, this time affecting users of Microsoft's own high-end Surface Book 2. Owners of the pricey 2-in-1 device have been reporting Blue Screen of Death crashes with the error message "System thread exception not handled", following the installation of a recent cumulative Windows Update designated KB4467682. Some users have even reported that their Surface Book 2s have become unusable after they attempted to roll back the update.

A report on ZDNet.com cites multiple posts by users on Reddit and on Microsoft's own support forums, who are understandably upset about the sub-standard experience, considering how much they have paid for their Surface Book 2 devices. Some users have speculated that the issue is due to a conflict between the Windows update and a firmware update for the Surface Book 2 that was released at the same time. The issue also reflects poorly on Microsoft after it just recently had to recall the Windows 10 October 2018 update because of critical bugs that deleted some users' files and overwrote other files without asking.

Microsoft has responded to at least one user on its own forum but has not yet released any explanation or fix for the issue. The company has been trying to avoid trouble by proactively detecting potential conflicts and preventing PCs from updating themselves if any software or hardware that might cause trouble is detected. Microsoft collects data from all consumer PCs running Windows 10 and has so far identified an Intel driver, Apple's iCloud syncing software, two Trend Micro applications, and some legacy AMD Radeon graphics cards as potential reasons for broken functionality with the Windows 10 October 2018 update. Users with these software or hardware issues will be prompted to resolve them before the update will be allowed to proceed.

The Surface Book 2 was launched in India in August this year. Prices start at Rs. 1,37,999 for the 13.5-inch version with an Intel Core i5 CPU and 256GB SSD, and go all the way up to Rs. 2,95,999 for the 15-inch model with an Intel Core i7 CPU, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 GPU, and 1TB SSD.