Windows 11 Update keeps breaking my Dell XPS 13

Hi KungkaJo

Welcome to Microsoft Community.

Based on your description, I understand that you have been removing your audio drivers after every major Windows update and have also experienced some disappearing taskbars, slowing down of your laptop, etc., and I understand very well how you feel!

Please allow me to explain for you that I am just a support person looking to solve the problem for you as best I can based on the current environment available. I just want to help you. Thank you for your understanding, I really appreciate it.

Personally, I like a custom taskbar feature in Windows 10 (that is, the ability to move the bottom taskbar to the left, right or top). But after upgrading to Windows 11 this feature has disappeared, which I find very unfortunate.

I'm going to give you some solutions for different problems you are experiencing, and I hope that helps! However, the first reply may not be able to solve your problem due to the different aspects of these problems, so please understand and provide more information (pictures would be great!) in your reply. Thank you very much!

1. Each major update removes your audio drivers.

This problem I suspect could be caused by Windows Update synchronizing its internet search and installing generic audio drivers while updating the system.

So I'm going to provide you with some options for disabling Windows Update from updating your drivers that should help you avoid this.

After disabling Windows Update from updating the drivers, you can reinstall the audio drivers provided by the laptop brand for the corresponding model.

Prevent Windows from updating drivers automatically:

Option 1: Right-click “This PC” on desktop -> “Properties” -> Click “Advanced System Settings” -> Select “Hardware” in the upper tab -> “Device Installation Settings” -> Modify to “No, let me choose what action to take” (if any, please check “Never install driver software from Windows Update”) -> Save Changes

Option 2: “Windows Logo Key + i” to open Settings -> Find “Windows Update” on the left sidebar -> “Advanced options” -> Make sure “Receive updates for other Microsoft products” is not enabled.

Option 3: Click “Windows Logo Key” to open the search bar -> Type “Services” and open it -> Scroll down to find “Windows Update” -> Change “Startup type” to “Disable” -> “Apply” & “OK”.

Option 4: Modify the registry.

Click “Windows Logo Key” to open the search bar -> Type “regedit” and open it with administrator privileges.

Navigate to “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\DriverSearching” path -> On the right side, find “SearchOrderConfig” and change the value to 0 -> Restart your computer to finish the modification.

0 = Block driver updates

1 = Allow to download driver update

Please note: Please continue to backup your system before modifying the registry to avoid other problems.

Disclaimer: Generally, modifying registry subkeys or work group is intended for advanced users, administrators, and IT Professionals. It can help fix some problems, however, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For further protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click How to back up and restore the registry in Windows - Microsoft Support to view the article.

2. Disappearance of the taskbar.

This problem can be caused by a variety of reasons, such as corrupted system files, corrupted or missing user account profiles, third-party applications or drivers, and so on.

I will try my best to provide you some options from different angles, hope it can help you.

Option 1: We'll start by troubleshooting from a graphics driver perspective, as sometimes graphics driver conflicts or incomplete compatibility can cause problems with the taskbar and overall performance.

Let's try to completely uninstall the currently used graphics driver with the help of DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) tool.

The drivers are involved in the following situations:

(1) You can download the graphics driver for the corresponding notebook model through the brand's official website (Dell).

(2) You can also download the graphics driver for the corresponding model through the graphics card brand's official website.

With the help of the DDU tool is to prevent file and registry residue that can lead to driver conflicts or problems still exist.

Let's try the latest version of the graphics driver first, and assuming the problem still exists, we can then try some known older and more compatible versions of the driver.

Option 2: Recurring taskbar problems may occur due to corrupted or missing system files.

We have tried to completely repair the system in two ways to at least ensure that the problem is not due to system corruption.

1. Scan and repair the system from the command line.

Click “Windows Logo Key” to open the search bar -> Type “cmd” in the search bar and open it with administrator privileges -> Please enter the following commands

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

SFC /Scannow

Please note: The above commands need to be repeated 5~6 times to ensure the completeness of the scan!

2. Please try the non-destructive repair.

The steps are:

(1) First download the ISO image file of Windows 11 via the following link.

The link is: Download Windows 11

(2) After the ISO file is downloaded, double-click it to open and run “setup.exe”.

(3) Under the “Install Windows 11” screen, select “Change how the installer downloads updates”.

(4) Under the “Get Updates, Drivers, and Optional Features” screen, select “Not Now”.

(5) Follow the instructions to continue.

Please note: If you are prompted to enter a key, the downloaded ISO image file does not match the current system version.

(6) Under the “Select what to keep” screen, please make sure to select “Keep personal files and applications” so that the contents of your computer will not be affected or lost.

(7) Start the non-destructive repair.

Option 3: Please try to clean boot your computer.

Since clean boot only uses a limited set of files and drivers, it can help us to effectively troubleshoot the possibility of problems caused by third-party applications, driver conflicts, etc.

You can refer to Clean Boot for more information: How to perform a clean boot in Windows - Microsoft Support

After clean boot, please slide down the webpage after opening the link and find “How to determine what is causing the problem after you do a clean boot” This is a dichotomy that can help us pinpoint the service that is causing the problem and disable it!

Disclaimer: A “clean boot” starts Windows with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs. It helps to determine whether a background service is interfering with your game or program and to isolate the cause of a problem. These steps of "clean boot" might look complicated at first glance. However, to avoid any trouble for you, please follow them in order and step-by step so that it will help you get back on track.

Option 4: Sometimes it is possible that the user account profile we are currently using is corrupted or missing causing the problem.

Let's try creating a new local administrator account from the command line and logging in to see if the problem persists. (Creating it in another way is also possible)

Click “Windows Logo Key” to open the search bar -> Enter “cmd” in the search bar and open it with administrator privileges -> Please enter the following command

net user USERNAME PASSWORD /add

net localgroup administrators USERNAME /add

Please note: USERNAME PASSWORD can be replaced with your preferred account name and password, if you don't need a password you can leave out the PASSWORD.

Other than that, I see that you seem to be experiencing different situations frequently, or after updates. So I would recommend that you create a restore point in an environment where you can work properly.

The reason for creating a restore point is to be able to quickly get back to a normal working environment, so that if we continue to experience similar problems, we can immediately restore the system to the point where it was before the problem occurred.

And a restore point is far easier than rolling back updates through WinRE, for example.

To make a restore point you can refer to: System Protection - Microsoft Support

Please note: A restore point to restore your system will not delete your personal files and data, but it will delete third-party applications, drivers and Windows Update installed after the restore point time.

I sincerely hope that the above solution will solve your problem. Please feel free to contact me if you have any problems or still can't solve them. (Photos related to the question would be great!).

I look forward to hearing back from you. 

Best Regards

Arthur Sheng | Microsoft Community Support Specialist