Newest Windows 10 update cripples network adapter on some PCs

It appears the recent torrent of Windows 10 updates from Microsoft is filled with bugs that are wreaking havoc on some users' hardware. The most recent Windows 10 update, KB4515384, is reportedly causing the network adapter on some PCs to fail, especially those running Build 18362.356 of the popular operating system. Microsoft has yet to acknowledge the issue and roll out a fix or workaround. According to a recent report by Neowin, the easiest solution for now is uninstalling the buggy update.

“After installing the latest update KB4515384, my Intel wireless network card and Intel lan card have [sic] stopped working. Device Manager reports a device error and cannot start it. Deinstalling KB4515384 solved the problem,” writes Windows 10 user Szkrabula on the Microsoft Community website. “KB4515384 broke my Intel NIC. It kept reporting 'disconnected'. I downloaded the Intel 24.0.0.11 drivers, and did a fresh install, but no luck...still disabled. I uninstalled the kb, and I'm back in business,” reports Redittor Bobo_Palermo.

According to Neowin, one complaint seen on Windows 10's Feedback Hub was, “KB4515384 breaks ethernet and wifi adapters on my PC. Appears to create new devices as they’re labelled ‘#2’ and when exposing hidden devices in Device Manager the previously named devices appear. Uninstalling these / new or old drivers do not fix the issues (i.e. “ethernet unplugged” which it is clearly not). Only option was to uninstall this update.”

Until Microsoft recognises and fixes the issue, it's evident that the easiest solution to this problem is uninstalling the update. Recently, Windows 10 Update KB4512941 caused Cortana to eat up system resources on some PCs. You can read more about that here. Last month, we reported that Update KB4505903 was handicapping Bluetooth connectivity on some PCs. Users who suffered from wireless audio playback issues were offered a workaround from Microsoft. You can read more about that here.