KB5101650 - causing taskbar inoperative and system performance issue

Question

KB5101650 - causing taskbar inoperative and system performance issue

Ravindra Guntuka-SBIMF 0

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2 answers

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Answer 1

DaveM121 938.1K Independent Advisor

The best option is to perform an in-place repair with the Windows 11 ISO, that should resolve any problems caused by that July update.

Please ensure you download the ISO in the same language as you use for the Windows UI, follow the steps, this is then not like re-installing Windows, it is just like an update and your personal files, settings and installed software will not be affected.

Click this link:

https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows11

to download the Windows 11 ISO

When the ISO file completes downloading

Disconnect from the Internet

Disconnect all external devices with the exception of a mouse or keyboard.

Temporarily disable any 3rd party Anti-virus you may have installed

Then, in Windows File Explorer, double click the ISO and then run Setup.exe and select the Install option.

Very Important - ensure you select the option to keep your files and apps.

Ravindra Guntuka-SBIMF 0 Reputation points

2026-08-07T05:15:09.21+00:00

This looks good but i have many laptops which are affected due to this patch
DaveM121 938.1K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-08-07T05:32:27.34+00:00

If this is in a business environment and the problem occurs on many devices, really the only other option would be to completely uninstall the update, that would be the quickest option to resolve the problem, there should also be an optional preview update (KB5101684) in the update list that may resolve the problem, it is basically a beta version of the August update, but I don't recommend installing that.

Answer 2

If KB5101650 makes the taskbar inoperative and also causes broader performance problems, the supported workaround in the available guidance is to remove that update if uninstalling it restores normal behavior, then pause updates to prevent it from reinstalling immediately.

If the update has already reinstalled or cannot be removed normally:

Open Settings.
Go to System > Recovery.
In Fix problems with Windows Updates, select Reinstall now.
Wait for the repair process to complete.

A quick taskbar refresh that may help if the taskbar is temporarily unresponsive:

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
Find Windows Explorer.
Right-click it and select Restart.

If the issue is intermittent, another supported repair step is to run a system file check:

Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
Run:
```
   sfc /scannow
```

If uninstalling KB5101650 is the only step that consistently restores the taskbar, keep updates paused until a newer update is offered.