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Windows Update to Fix Spectre/Meltdown Exploits Broke Some PCs

Some AMD users have reported that the update was breaking their computers.

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The biggest news in cybersecurity last week was the discovery of the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities in modern computer processors. They affect virtually all computers in the world, and as a result of this severity, hardware companies have been scrambling to create and release updates that patch the holes. In its haste, however, it appears that Microsoft released a series of updates for Windows that could break AMD systems. Recently, the company was forced to remove these updates from some systems running AMD processors and graphics cards.

As reported by ComputerWorld, users had begun complaining of bricked computers last week. Some AMD users had run into blue screen errors, an inability to restart their computers, and other issues.

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Now Playing: What PC Gamers Need To Know About CPU Security Flaws And Performance Loss

Earlier this week, after several days of complaints, Microsoft pulled the patches from some AMD systems and acknowledged that they had been causing issues. But Microsoft placed the blame squarely on AMD, stating on its website that "some AMD chipsets do not conform to the documentation previously provided to Microsoft to develop the Windows operating system mitigations to protect against the chipset vulnerabilities known as Spectre and Meltdown."

Microsoft promised that it'll work with AMD to resolve the problems as soon as possible, but it has not provided a specific timetable yet. In the meantime, you can check out our feature on what PC gamers need to know about Meltdown and Spectre here.

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