Microsoft has issued an emergency out-of-band update to fix a bug affecting certain Dell PCs that was blocking them from receiving July 2026's Patch Tuesday security fixes. The underlying issue caused affected machines to overheat, slow down and randomly shut off, prompting Microsoft to pause the rollout for these models until a fix could be prepared, ensuring they were not left without the month's security updates.

The problem stemmed from an incompatibility between an Intel Innovation Platform Framework driver and the new Windows USB-C Connection Manager interface, introduced in a June 2026 preview update. Microsoft released the fix as KB5121767 for Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2, alongside a separate hotpatch, KB5121768, for eligible Windows 11 Enterprise devices enrolled in hotpatching. It marks Microsoft's first out-of-band update in several months, following a cluster of similar emergency fixes earlier in the year.