It’s always a strange feeling when the final patch cycle of the year drops. December 2025 was no different—Microsoft pushed out its last batch of security updates, and I found myself staring at the familiar “Checking for updates…” spinner on my Hyper-V lab box.
Why I Paid Attention to This One
End-of-year updates are notorious. Back in 2019, I installed a December patch on Server 2016 and the VM refused to boot—black screen, no logs, just silence. That scar taught me to treat December updates with extra caution. This year, with Windows 10 still limping along in extended support and Windows 11 rolling through 24H2 and 25H2, I wanted to see how stable things felt.
Step-by-Step Walkthrough (With Commentary)
- Windows 10 22H2: I spun up my IoT Enterprise VM and applied KB5071546. Not gonna lie, I was winging it at first—clicked “Download & install” without a backup. The update added a PowerShell tweak:
Invoke-WebRequestnow throws a confirmation prompt. Nice touch, but it caught me off guard mid-script. - Windows 11 24H2/25H2: On my ThinkPad with 32GB RAM, I tested KB5072033. File Explorer flashing white when switching tabs? Supposedly fixed. But when I pressed “+” to open a new tab, my eyes were greeted with a blinding flash. Most guides say “resolved,” but my experience says otherwise.
Unexpected Issues
- Password buttons missing on the lock screen—hovering over invisible UI elements felt like playing Minesweeper.
- External virtual switches losing NIC bindings after reboot. I hit this on my Server 2022 lab host. The workaround? Rebinding manually, which is tedious when you’re juggling multiple VLANs.
Workarounds & Lessons Learned
- Backups matter: I used Macrium Reflect to snapshot my test VM before patching. Saved me when Explorer went haywire.
- Known Issues Rollback: Microsoft’s invisible password button fix actually worked once I hovered carefully. It’s clunky, but better than being locked out.
- Patience pays: I’ve learned to wait 48 hours before rolling updates into production. Ever spent an hour debugging a typo in a GPO? Multiply that by ten when an update breaks Explorer.
Final Thoughts
This December cycle wasn’t catastrophic—no critical vulnerabilities, mostly “important” ones—but it reminded me that even “minor” updates can disrupt workflows. The PowerShell prompt change alone could break automation scripts if you’re not watching closely.
