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USB4/Thunderbolt Malfunction after Windows 11 update

Iroh 5 Reputation points
2026-04-28T03:32:41.2066667+00:00

After an update in late Jan/early Feb, USB4 tunneling fails and the system freezes when my thunderbolt audio interface (apollo twin x) initializes. Unplugging the device immediately resolves the freezing. Before this update, it worked great. It works fine when booted into safe mode, and does not freeze when plugged into regular USBC ports (but then I lose out on my interface capabilities) which suggest it is a driver or tunneling issue. The USB4 Host Router firmware (ASMedia ASM4242) is at version 0.1a and will not update. Uninstalling the USB4 Host Router driver does not help. Bios and all drivers are up to date. The "allow this computer to turn off this device to save power" box is unchecked for the USB4 router. I was able to use a restore point in the past to resolve this, but that restore point is no longer available. Any suggestions would be great.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Devices and drivers

Answer recommended by moderator

Iroh 5 Reputation points
2026-05-08T00:59:05.1233333+00:00

Hey Hakeem, I managed to fix my issue. After much trial and error, this is what worked for me: Enter BIOS and disable IOMMU. I'm on an MSI Tomahawk X870E board, so I set my PCIe_E1 Gen Switch form "auto" to "gen 4". I did the same step for "chipset Gen Switch". These were both under Advanced/PCIe Settings in my MSI BIOS, not sure what options ASUS has but likely something similar. These changes alone allowed the Apollo to run for a few min before freezes occurred. Next, In windows, I disabled "Link power management". Control panel > power options > change plan settings > Advanced power settings > PCIe Express > Link State Power Management set to OFF. I also set my power plan to ultimate performance just in case.

These settings have completely fixed the issue for me. Hope it helps!

Some helpful specs:

Windows 11 Version 10.0.26200 Build 26200

MSI Tomahawk X870E board

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  1. Lychee-Ng 20,870 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-04-29T08:56:33.4233333+00:00

    Hi Iroh,

    I understand how frustrating it is when plugging in the audio device hard‑freezes the system as soon as USB4 tunneling starts. However, based on your description and all the extensive checks, I have to admit there isn’t much left to do. Besides what the Q&A Assist has suggested, I can only add some other checks you may consider:

    1 - Disable USB selective suspend (if possible)

    • Open Command Prompt as Administrator
    • Run the following commands one by one:
      • powercfg /setacvalueindex SCHEME_CURRENT 2a737441-1930-4402-8d77-b2bebba308a3 48e6b7a6-50f5-4782-a5d4-53bb8f07e226 0
      • powercfg /setdcvalueindex SCHEME_CURRENT 2a737441-1930-4402-8d77-b2bebba308a3 48e6b7a6-50f5-4782-a5d4-53bb8f07e226 0
      • powercfg /setactive SCHEME_CURRENT
    • Restart your PC after it finished.

    2 - Disable Fast Startup

    • Open the classic Control Panel > Power Options
    • Click Choose what the power buttons do
    • Click Change settings that are currently unavailable
    • Uncheck Turn on fast startup > Save and shut down
    • Wait for at least 2 minutes > Power the system back on.

    If none of the suggestions helps improve the situation, check if you can still roll back the Jan-Feb update (though unlikely to work since it’s almost May now). Open Settings > Windows update > Update history > check Uninstall update.

    Also since you're relating this issue to a Windows update, consider reporting it to the development team via Feedback Hub (press Win + F). That’s the channel where similar situations are investigated and resolved.

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

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  2. AI answer

    2026-04-28T03:33:01.4566667+00:00

    Based on the symptoms and the timing after a Windows 11 update, the malfunction is most likely in the USB4/Thunderbolt tunneling path on the USB4 host router rather than the audio interface itself. Safe Mode working and non‑USB4 ports working both point to the USB4 stack, tunneling, or related power management.

    Use the following focused steps:

    1. Validate USB4 tunneling and router behavior
      • On Windows 11, open Settings → Bluetooth & devices → USB → USB4 Hubs and Devices and confirm that the USB4 host router and any attached USB4/Thunderbolt devices enumerate correctly when the Apollo is attached.
      • If the page does not appear on a USB4‑capable system, OEMs can force enablement via the IsSystemUsb4CapableFromOem registry value so that USB4 components are always visible for debugging: 
             [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\USB]
     "IsSystemUsb4CapableFromOem"=dword:00000001
      • This helps verify whether the USB4 host router is detected and whether the device disappears or errors when the freeze occurs.
    2. Check USB4 power‑management behavior
      • USB4 host routers must support reliable sleep/entry/exit and must not signal disconnect to tunneled protocols (PCIe, USB 3.x, display) on power transitions.
      • Because the freeze happens when the Thunderbolt/USB4 audio interface initializes, treat this as a tunneling/power‑transition issue:
        • Temporarily disable any aggressive power‑saving features in BIOS related to USB4/Thunderbolt or PCIe power management.
        • In Windows, keep “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power” disabled for the USB4 host router (already done) and, if visible, for any tunneled PCIe/USB devices associated with the router.
    3. Test PCIe tunneling stability
      • USB4 systems with external USB4 ports are required to support PCIe tunneling on all exposed USB4 connectors. Instability during initialization of a PCIe‑based Thunderbolt audio interface suggests a PCIe tunneling issue.
      • If access to Windows HLK/WDK tools is available (for example on a test setup), run the System.Fundamentals.SystemUSB.USB4.SupportPCIeTunneling test against the system to validate that PCIe tunneling is functioning correctly on the affected USB4 port. Failures here would confirm a tunneling problem in the current firmware/driver combination.
    4. Validate Thunderbolt 3 compatibility path
      • Many Thunderbolt audio interfaces rely on Thunderbolt 3 compatibility over USB4. USB4 hosts are expected to support legacy Thunderbolt 3 peripherals.
      • If using HLK in a lab environment, run the USB4 host router Thunderbolt 3 support validation test against the ASMedia USB4 host router device (optionally using the WDKDeviceID parameter to target that router). Any failures indicate a regression in Thunderbolt‑over‑USB4 compatibility introduced by recent updates or firmware.
    5. Check for USB4/Thunderbolt‑related event logs and traces
      • Use the USB4 debugging and troubleshooting guidance to gather more detail:
        • Capture connection manager driver traces and TraceLogging rundown events while reproducing the freeze.
        • Review system event log events for display/tunnel issues; similar mechanisms may surface problems in the USB4 tunneling path used by the audio interface.
      • These traces can help identify whether the freeze coincides with a tunneling error, router reset, or protocol failure.
    6. Compare behavior across power states and docks
      • The issue where devices on Thunderbolt docks stop working after resume from Modern Standby/Hibernate/Soft Off is known to manifest as yellow‑bang devices and Code 10/24/43 in Device Manager.
      • Although the current symptom is a freeze rather than post‑resume failure, repeatedly testing:
        • Cold boot with the interface connected vs. hot‑plug after boot
        • Resume from sleep/hibernate with the interface attached can help determine whether the problem is tied to USB4 power‑state transitions similar to the known Thunderbolt dock issue.
    7. Escalate with OEM/ASMedia if firmware cannot be updated
      • The ASMedia ASM4242 USB4 host router firmware being stuck at 0.1a and refusing updates is a red flag. Since USB4 tunneling, PCIe tunneling, and Thunderbolt 3 compatibility are all heavily dependent on host‑router firmware, coordinate with the system OEM or ASMedia via the OEM to:
        • Confirm that the current firmware is certified for the Windows 11 build installed.
        • Obtain an updated firmware image or a validated rollback image that is known to pass USB4 PCIe tunneling and Thunderbolt 3 compatibility tests on the current OS build.
      • If the problem started exactly after a specific Windows update and persists across driver reinstallations, a combination of that update with the current ASM4242 firmware may be the root cause; OEM‑provided firmware or BIOS updates are the typical resolution path.

    If access to Microsoft or OEM support is available, provide them with:

    • USB4 connection manager traces
    • System event logs around the freeze
    • Results of any USB4 PCIe tunneling and Thunderbolt 3 validation tests so they can correlate the regression with the specific Windows build and USB4 firmware.

    References:

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