Windows 11 shows an update prompt, you click "Download and install," and after restarting it either gets stuck on the update screen rolling back repeatedly, or after installation the computer starts blue-screening, shutting down to a black screen and freezing, or WiFi is clearly connected but there is no internet access. If you are experiencing these issues, it is most likely not that your computer is broken, but rather the July preview update KB5101684 causing trouble. This update is an optional preview release. Microsoft's intention is to let users experience next month's fixes and improvements early, but preview releases inherently carry higher uncertainty, and installation failures and device compatibility issues have been reported quite heavily in the community.

This article will first help you determine whether your failure is related to KB5101684, then, in order from simple to complex, provide repair methods for installation failures, emergency handling for blue screens and black screens, and troubleshooting ideas for network disconnections. Before doing anything, be sure to back up important files. Although operations involving uninstalling updates will not delete personal data, unexpected power loss during the system rollback process can still cause abnormalities.

一、What exactly is KB5101684, and is it worth installing?

KB5101684 is an optional preview cumulative update released by Microsoft on July 28, 2026, applicable to Windows 11 24H2 (build number 26100.8973) and 25H2 (build number 26200.8973). It will not install automatically. You need to manually check it under "Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options > Optional updates" to obtain it.

This update mainly does three valuable things. First, it includes many optimizations for devices with 8GB of memory or less: File Explorer jump lists respond faster, the Start menu and taskbar load noticeably faster after startup, and the reliability of the lock screen and sign-in screen is also improved. Second, Windows Hello adds support for external fingerprint readers, so desktop users can finally use fingerprint sign-in without relying on built-in hardware. Third, File Explorer's "Details" view can now correctly display units such as KB, MB, and GB, instead of uniformly displaying all file sizes in kilobytes.

Core judgment: If your computer has sufficient memory (16GB or more) and the current system runs stably, not installing this update is completely fine. It is optional, not a security patch, and not installing it will not bring security risks. But if you are a user of an old laptop with 8GB of memory, installing it can indeed bring a noticeable improvement in responsiveness.

二、Common errors and repair methods for KB5101684 installation failure

Installation failure is the most frequently reported problem with KB5101684. Typical error codes appearing in the community include 0x800F0845 and 0x8024a22d, the former usually pointing to system component corruption or abnormal update service configuration.

If you encounter installation failure or repeated update rollback, troubleshoot in the following order:

  1. First check the remaining hard disk space. Open "This PC" and confirm that drive C has at least 20GB of available space. The update installation process needs to extract and temporarily store a large number of files, and insufficient space will directly cause failure.
  2. Temporarily disable third-party security software. Some antivirus software or system optimization tools will intercept file operations of Windows Update components. Temporarily disable antivirus software and firewalls, then try again.
  3. Run the Windows Update troubleshooter. Go to "Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters," find "Windows Update," and click "Run." The tool will automatically detect and repair common update configuration problems.
  4. If the above is ineffective, use the command line to repair system files. Open Terminal as administrator (right-click the Start button and select "Terminal (Admin)"), then execute the following commands in sequence:
# For Windows 11, execute one by one, waiting for each to complete before running the next
dism /online /cleanup-image /scanhealth
dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
sfc /scannow

These three commands respectively check the health status of the system image, download healthy files from Windows Update for repair, and scan and repair protected system files.

  1. Clean up the WinSxS component store. If system drive space is tight, execute the following command to clean up old components:
dism /online /cleanup-image /startcomponentcleanup
  1. Last resort: repair the system through "Reinstall". If all the above methods are ineffective, go to "Settings > System > Recovery," and under "Fix problems using Windows Update," click "Reinstall now." This operation will keep your files and installed applications, equivalent to a repair installation.

三、How to deal with blue screens, black screens, and shutdown freezes after installing KB5101684

Some users encountered more serious system failures after successfully installing KB5101684. Symptoms concentrated in community feedback include: blue screen error code 0x00000124, after clicking shutdown the screen goes black but the power light does not turn off and the fan keeps spinning, and startup freezes preventing entry into the system on some devices (such as GMKtec EVO-X1 PRO).

If your computer can still enter the desktop normally

The most direct and effective way to handle it is to uninstall KB5101684. KB5101684 is an optional update, and uninstalling it will not affect the security of the system. Operation path:

  1. Open "Settings > Windows Update > Update history."
  2. Scroll to the bottom and click "Uninstall updates."
  3. In the list, find "2026-07 Preview Update (KB5101684)" and click "Uninstall" on the right.
  4. After uninstallation is complete, restart the computer and observe whether the blue screen and shutdown problems disappear.

Risk warning: After uninstalling the update, the system will return to the state before installation. If you previously obtained certain feature improvements because of KB5101684 (such as external fingerprint support), these improvements will also disappear.

A temporary workaround for shutdown black screen

Some users in the community reported a temporary workaround: before clicking shutdown, first open "Settings > Windows Update" once, wait for the system to complete an update check, and then perform the shutdown operation. Some users reported that doing so can allow the shutdown process to complete normally. If this method works for your device, you can temporarily use it while waiting for Microsoft to release a fix patch.

If the computer can no longer start normally

Try entering the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE): forcibly shut down the computer 2-3 times in succession during startup, and the system will automatically enter recovery mode. In the recovery environment, select "Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Uninstall updates > Uninstall the latest quality update," and the system will automatically remove the most recently installed update package. If the recovery environment also cannot uninstall normally, you may need to use an installation USB drive for startup repair or system restore.

四、Network disconnection after the update: what to do if WiFi is connected but there is no internet

There is another type of feedback worth explaining separately: some users found after installing KB5101684 that WiFi and Ethernet show as connected, but browsers or applications cannot access the internet.

First confirm the scope of the problem

Open Command Prompt and enter ipconfig /all to check whether a valid IPv4 address and default gateway have been obtained. If the IP address shows as an automatic configuration address starting with 169.254.x.x, it indicates that DHCP lease renewal has a problem - this is exactly the type of known issue that KB5101684 involves fixing.

Manually trigger network recovery

  1. Press Win + R, enter cmd, and press Enter.
  2. Execute the following commands in sequence:
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
ipconfig /flushdns
  1. If it is still ineffective, go to "Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings," find "Network reset," and click "Reset now." Note: Network reset will clear all saved WiFi passwords and VPN configurations. Before operating, please confirm that you remember these passwords.

五、Daily prevention: how to avoid update failures next time

First, distinguish between "optional updates" and "mandatory security updates." KB5101684 is an optional preview update, positioned to let users test next month's changes in advance. In "Settings > Windows Update," make sure "Get the latest updates as soon as they're available" is turned off, so the system will not automatically pull preview updates.

Second, create a restore point before important updates. In "Control Panel > System and Security > System > System Protection," enable system protection for drive C and manually create a restore point. Once an update causes a blue screen or startup failure, you can quickly roll back through the recovery environment.

Third, do not rush to clean up the Windows.old folder. After an update is installed, the system retains old version files in Windows.old. This is the last guarantee for rolling back to the state before the update. After confirming that the system has run stably for one to two weeks, use Disk Cleanup to handle it.

Fourth, devices with 8GB of memory can pay attention to subsequent official cumulative updates. The low-memory optimization content in KB5101684 will be included in the official security updates for August and later. If you do not need new features such as external fingerprint sign-in, you can completely wait until the official version is released before installing, which is more reliable in terms of stability.