The Windows 11 24H2 update is causing even more problems

By Judy Sanhz Published November 20, 2024

Microsoft

The Windows 11 24H2 update had already been giving users a real headache with problems such as bugs for visual layouts and flaws for certain wallpaper apps. And now, as Microsoft confirms in a support document, some people without administrative privileges can’t change the time zone in the Date & Time view, among myriad other issues related to the important Windows 11 update.

A Feedback Hub post also reports a time issue after exiting Sleep Mode, specifically after about one out of every five overnight sleep cycles. There is also a report that the time is not syncing correctly following daylight saving time. Put differently, the update doesn’t break the time zone, but only affects the toggle or makes it very difficult to modify it.

Recommended Videos

Switching gears a bit, the issues don’t end there since the Windows 11 24H2 update also brings audio bugs, such as USB audio issues that affect games. Windows Latest also spotted a bug that causes problems with sound, which rises to 100% when you use a USB digital audio converter (DAC) system.

Microsoft says this is not the result of any modifications to user policies, permissions, or Windows 11 settings. If you have admin privileges, you won’t experience the issue, but Microsoft provides a workaround if you don’t.

The software giant says you can change the time zone through the Date and Time section of the Windows Control Panel: “This can be accomplished by opening the start menu and typing ‘control panel,’ then selecting the top result. Once the Control Panel appears, you can use the search bar in the upper right of the window to enter ‘change the time zone.’ Select the top result. Or, the corresponding window can also be opened directly from the Run dialog (press the Windows key and R on your keyboard) using the command ‘timedate.cpl.'”

Microsoft confirms it is actively investigating the problems and will provide users with a resolution in the following Windows update.

Topics

Computing Writer

Judy Sanhz is a Digital Trends computing writer covering all computing news. Loves all operating systems and devices.

Computing

Your next Windows update should install much faster

It's about time Windows 11 users got some good news about updates. Microsoft recently claimed in a blog post that thanks to 24H2's servicing stack, the update installs up to 45.6% faster than previous versions of Windows. The upcoming update will use fewer system resources, and the restart time will be faster.

According to Microsoft's tests on PCs that had not been updated for 18 months and ones that were regularly updated, there were significant improvements to celebrate. On the well-maintained PCs, installation time was 45.6% faster, restart time was 39.7% faster, and CPU usage was 15.3% less. In an atypical scenario with an 18-month out-of-date PC, the installation time was 43.6% faster, restart time was 33.5% faster, and CPU usage was 25% less.

Computing

Windows 11 to let you use your phone as a webcam

Using an Android phone as a webcam.

The Windows 11 update 24H2 includes a new feature called Connected Camera that lets you turn your smartphone into a webcam. The folks at PCWorld have tested the feature out, and it looks pretty easy to use, though you do need to have an Android phone to use it.

Using your phone as a webcam -- either for your desktop or your laptop -- isn't new, but native support for it has been patchy. At first, people had to use third-party apps to do the job. Then Apple users got Continuity Camera, and a few years later Android 14 users got a similar feature, too.

Computing

Windows 11 24H2 may crash your PC if you have a certain SSD

The blue screen of death in Windows.

Microsoft's Windows 11 2024 Update, more commonly referred to as 24H2, is here, but it's not without issues. Reports from disgruntled users have flooded various forums, talking about constant blue screens of death (BSOD) that have appeared since they updated to the latest version of Windows. Although Microsoft has yet to officially acknowledge the problem, the users seem to have pinpointed the cause of it, and even found a workaround.

So far, it looks like these crashes are fairly limited in scope, as they seem to happen if you have one of a few Western Digital SSD models. Other SSD vendors appear unaffected so far. As reported on the WD Community Forums, users are getting BSODs with the error "critical process has died" ever since they updated to the 24H2 update.