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February Update KB5077181 did NOT fix January KB5074109 UI freeze issue (taskbar/menu unresponsive, only mouse moves)

Dave K 0 Reputation points
2026-02-24T09:40:03.8933333+00:00

Hi, I’m still experiencing the same UI freeze problem from the January 2026 update KB5074109, even after installing the February 2026 cumulative update KB5077181, which is supposed to include all the fixes from January and its out‑of‑band patches.
I am using a 32 GB (RAM) Dell laptop Model Latitude 5591 with graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce MX130.
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-8850H CPU @ 2.60GHz, 2592 Mhz, 6 Core(s), 12 Logical Processor(s).

Symptoms (identical across both updates):

  • Taskbar becomes completely unresponsive
  • Start menu won’t open
  • Desktop icons do not respond
  • Right‑click/context menus don’t open
  • Keyboard input stops working
  • Only the mouse cursor moves

A forced restart is the only way out, and uninstalling the update immediately resolves the issue.

My Update History / What I tested:

Installed KB5074109 (January update) → UI freeze appears.

Uninstalled KB5074109 → Issue disappears.

Installed KB5077181 (February update), which includes fixes from KB5074109, KB5077744, and KB5078127. (This is confirmed in Microsoft’s official changelog.) [winbuzzer.com]

After installing KB5077181 → The exact same UI freeze returns.

Uninstalled KB5077181 → System works normally again.

Wider reports from the community:

There are many reports that February’s update still causes shell/Explorer/DWM instability, with symptoms similar to or overlapping the January UI freeze bug:

February KB5077181 causing login failures, UI component failures, and shell‑related service errors (SENS) that break taskbar/Start/menu functionality. [windowsreport.com]

Reports of similar system freezes, corrupted UI initialization, and instability following KB5077181. [pcworld.com]

Multiple users reporting continuing system issues after KB5077181, even though it includes the January fixes. [neowin.net]

This strongly suggests that the underlying issue affecting UI responsiveness is not fully resolved in the February cumulative update.

My Reddit discussion (with full details and others confirming similar issues):

https://www.reddit.com/r/pchelp/comments/1qclbuu/comment/o73wkyq/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

Request:

Could Microsoft please investigate whether the UI freeze / shell unresponsiveness regression from KB5074109 is still present in KB5077181?

Although the February update bundles all January fixes, it appears that this particular UI‑freeze issue persists.

Happy to provide logs, reliability history, event viewer traces, or Shell/Explorer crash dumps if needed.

Thank you.Hi,

I’m still experiencing the same UI freeze problem from the January 2026 update KB5074109, even after installing the February 2026 cumulative update KB5077181, which is supposed to include all the fixes from January and its out‑of‑band patches.

Symptoms (identical across both updates):

  • Taskbar becomes completely unresponsive
  • Start menu won’t open
  • Desktop icons do not respond
  • Right‑click/context menus don’t open
  • Keyboard input stops working
  • Only the mouse cursor moves

A forced restart is the only way out, and uninstalling the update immediately resolves the issue.

My Update History / What I tested:

Installed KB5074109 (January update)
→ UI freeze appears.

Uninstalled KB5074109
→ Issue disappears.

Installed KB5077181 (February update), which includes fixes from KB5074109, KB5077744, and KB5078127.
(This is confirmed in Microsoft’s official changelog.) [winbuzzer.com]

After installing KB5077181
→ The exact same UI freeze returns.

Uninstalled KB5077181
→ System works normally again.

Wider reports from the community:

There are many reports that February’s update still causes shell/Explorer/DWM instability, with symptoms similar to or overlapping the January UI freeze bug:

February KB5077181 causing login failures, UI component failures, and shell‑related service errors (SENS) that break taskbar/Start/menu functionality.
[windowsreport.com]

Reports of similar system freezes, corrupted UI initialization, and instability following KB5077181.
[pcworld.com]

Multiple users reporting continuing system issues after KB5077181, even though it includes the January fixes.
[neowin.net]

This strongly suggests that the underlying issue affecting UI responsiveness is not fully resolved in the February cumulative update.

My Reddit discussion (with full details and others confirming similar issues):

https://www.reddit.com/r/pchelp/comments/1qclbuu/comment/o73wkyq/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

Request:

Could Microsoft please investigate whether the UI freeze / shell unresponsiveness regression from KB5074109 is still present in KB5077181?

Although the February update bundles all January fixes, it appears that this particular UI‑freeze issue persists.

Happy to provide logs, reliability history, event viewer traces, or Shell/Explorer crash dumps if needed.

Thank you.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Windows update
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  1. Q&A Assist
    2026-02-24T09:40:22.1533333+00:00
    AI generated content. This question contains an answer created with AI from Q&A Assist. Learn more

    It appears that the UI freeze issue you are experiencing is indeed a known problem that has been reported by multiple users. The symptoms you described, such as the taskbar becoming unresponsive and the Start menu not opening, align with the issues noted in community reports regarding the January update KB5074109 and the subsequent February update KB5077181.

    Despite the February update being intended to include fixes from January, it seems that the underlying problem affecting UI responsiveness has not been fully resolved. Users have reported similar experiences of instability and unresponsiveness after installing KB5077181, suggesting that the issue persists even after applying the latest updates.

    If you have not done so already, it may be beneficial to monitor official Microsoft channels for any announcements regarding this issue, as they may provide further guidance or additional updates to address the ongoing problems.

    References:

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