Microsoft releases KB5050094 update to fix audio issues caused by earlier update

When Microsoft released the January security updates for Windows 10 and Windows 11 earlier this month, there were soon complaints from users about audio issues. Having only recently acknowledged a link between the update and the problems, Microsoft has now issued a fix.

The release of the KB5050094 update will give those who are willing to install preview versions of updates the chance to get their audio devices working again. The way in which this problem is being address is not ideal, and will raise questions from many people.

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The audio problems that Microsoft has acknowledged were caused by the security updates released recently. Being security updates, they were installed automatically for many people, meaning that users’ audio has been negatively affected without them having done anything.

Now the KB5050094 update is here. While it is great that this fixes the audio issues experienced by many, it is being released in a different way. The audio fix is being bundled with February’s patch Tuesday update, a preview version of which is available now. Because it is a preview update, it does not roll out automatically, so many people with broken audio caused by Microsoft’s earlier update will not know that there is a fix available to manually download.

The KB5050094 update actually address two audio issues:

• [Digital/Analog converter (DAC) (known issue)] Fixed: You might experience issues with USB audio devices. This is more likely when you use a DAC audio driver based on USB 1.0. USB audio devices might stop working, which stops playback.
• [USB audio device drivers] Fixed: The code 10 error message, “This device cannot start” appears. This occurs when you connect to certain external audio management devices.

If you are willing to risk installing a preview version of an update and have the audio problems fixed in KB5050094, you can manually grab it by checking for updates in the Optional Updates section of Windows Update.

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