January 6, 2026
Brick-tok meets Windows
Microsoft (Probably) Killed My Snapdragon Dev Kit
Windows update drama turns a shiny dev box into a brick—fans split between 'blame MS' and 'bad hardware'
TLDR: A Windows update attempt ended with a once-stable Snapdragon Dev Kit refusing to boot. Comments erupted into a blame war: one side points at Microsoft’s patch drama, the other says a dying SSD or RAM is the real villain, making this a cautionary tale for Windows on ARM users.
A Windows security patch tried to update a lightning-fast Snapdragon Dev Kit, then everything spiraled: failed installs, frantic reboots, lost profile, the dreaded default wallpaper, and finally—a box that won’t even reach the logo. The owner tried a clean reinstall and drivers, but the machine now faceplants on boot. Cue the crowd. The loudest chorus? The “don’t touch that update” crowd who swear Microsoft updates are chaos goblins. GaryBluto warned, “once an update bricks you, do not try it again,” while the anti-ARM contingent piled on, saying Microsoft won’t prioritize these chips used mostly in phones and some PCs. One commenter even pointed to “Snapdragon’s canceled” vibes and linked YouTube and Jeff Geerling receipts for fan noise and flaky support.
Then came the hardware truthers: “It’s your SSD or RAM, dude.” They argue the boot menu freezing smells like a dying part, not a cursed update. A practical tinkerer proposed a stunt—install Windows with the SSD in another ARM machine, then swap it back. The memes? “Windows Update Russian roulette,” “soulless wallpaper jumpscare,” and “ARM = Already Regretting Microsoft.” Blame is flying, but the vibe is clear: whether it’s a bad patch or a failing part, the dream ARM dev box just went full brick—and the community is loving the chaos.
Key Points
- •A Snapdragon Dev Kit running Windows 11 for ARM operated reliably for about a year before issues began.
- •Windows 11 security update KB5068861 repeatedly failed to install, rolling back despite sfc/DISM repairs and manual catalog installs.
- •A subsequent failed rollback led to multiple reboots, a new default profile, blocked Microsoft account sign-in, and Microsoft apps failing to open.
- •UEFI/BDS access was erratic; after disabling Secure Boot and enabling USB-first boot, a clean Windows 11 ARM install initially succeeded.
- •During driver selection post-install, the system froze and shut down; thereafter it failed to boot past the Snapdragon logo and BDS options became unusable.