Windows 11 25H2 Known Issues: EVR HDCP Playback Block and WUSA Network Install

Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 11 version 25H2 is shipping with two narrow but consequential known issues — one that can block DRM‑protected playback in certain Blu‑ray/DVD and digital‑TV applications, and another that can disrupt manual .msu installations from network shares — and Microsoft has staged mitigations while engineering works toward permanent fixes.

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Background / Overview​

Windows 11 version 25H2 is being distributed as an enablement package on top of the 24H2 servicing branch, meaning the update flips on features already present in the codebase rather than replacing the entire OS image. That delivery model makes installation fast and low-friction for most users, but it also means any regressions carried in recent servicing updates can be inherited by 25H2. Microsoft published the 25H2 rollout on September 30, 2025, and simultaneously published a known‑issues list on its Windows Release Health page.
Microsoft’s published status frames these problems as mitigated in the short term while permanent engineering fixes are developed. The two issues most relevant to end users and IT professionals are:

• Protected playback failures: Certain Blu‑ray, DVD and digital TV apps that rely on legacy rendering paths (Enhanced Video Renderer) with HDCP enforcement or platform DRM for audio may show copyright errors, black screens, freezes, or repeated playback interruptions. This affects both Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2.
• WUSA (.msu) installation failures from network shares: Installing .msu packages with the Windows Update Standalone Installer from a network folder that contains multiple .msu files can fail with ERROR_BAD_PATHNAME. Microsoft recommends copying .msu files locally prior to installation and has deployed Known Issue Rollback (KIR) mitigations for many devices.

This article dissects the technical details, validates the timeline and fixes against Microsoft’s documentation and independent reporting, and offers practical guidance for home users, HTPC owners, and IT administrators preparing for a measured 25H2 deployment. Community reporting and forum analysis published alongside Microsoft statements corroborate the incident’s scope and the staged remediation.

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What Microsoft has officially confirmed​

The two confirmed problems, in Microsoft’s words​

Microsoft’s Release Health page lists the issues and their current mitigation status. The playback problem is described as affecting applications that use the Enhanced Video Renderer (EVR) with HDCP enforcement or that rely on platform DRM for audio; symptoms reported include copyright protection errors, freezing, black screens, and interrupted playback. Microsoft states the problem is partially resolved and that a targeted preview update has addressed many EVR/HDCP cases, while some audio‑DRM scenarios may still be affected.
For the WUSA/.msu problem Microsoft explains that the issue occurs when installing .msu files from a network share that contains more than one .msu file; it does not occur when a single .msu is present on the share or when the .msu is copied locally. Microsoft calls this a scenario most commonly exercised by enterprise administrators rather than home users and advises the local‑copy workaround or using KIR for mitigation.

The staged remediation (KB IDs and preview fixes)​

Microsoft has staged a Release Preview update (KB5065789, preview dated September 29, 2025) that explicitly lists a Media fix addressing playback of protected content in certain Blu‑ray, DVD and digital TV apps that use EVR/HDCP enforcement. That preview—and later cumulative updates that incorporate the preview’s changes—are the route Microsoft has chosen to restore playback for many affected applications. Microsoft’s KB page for KB5065789 documents the fix as part of the update notes.
For the WUSA/.msu problem Microsoft used Known Issue Rollback (KIR) and documented Group Policy downloads and KIR artifacts for managed fleets; the Release Health page explains how KIR mitigates the problem for many consumer and non‑managed business devices and provides a GPO/MSI package path for administrators.

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Technical breakdown: why EVR + HDCP playback can fail and what “fails closed” means​

How the protected playback chain works​

Protected playback for commercial content relies on a coordinated chain:

• The media application requests decryption and secure rendering.
• The OS DRM stack (PlayReady, AACS, platform DRM) ensures license conditions are met and creates a trusted surface.
• The renderer (in older apps, EVR) binds video frames to a secure Direct3D surface that the GPU and display path recognize as protected.
• The GPU driver and display endpoint complete an HDCP handshake so the frame can be presented to the monitor or a capture device without leaking into unprotected paths.

If any link in that chain fails — for example because driver behavior changed, the OS altered the initialization flow, or the secure surface cannot be allocated — the platform intentionally blocks playback rather than rendering a degraded or insecure frame. This defensible behavior is called “fail closed.” The result is playback failure with copyright/protection errors or black screens.

Why a servicing update can break a legacy path​

Servicing updates often include low‑level changes to kernel or DRM related APIs, driver interfacing, initialization ordering, or security hardenings. Because EVR is a legacy renderer still in active use by many Blu‑ray/DVD and tuner applications, small, security‑oriented changes to how the OS establishes protected surfaces or enforces HDCP can prevent older players or capture apps from establishing a trusted path. In this case Microsoft’s August preview (KB5064081) and the September cumulative (KB5065426) folded those servicing changes into broader channels, after which the community observed repeated playback failures. Microsoft documented the bug and staged the targeted preview fix KB5065789 to address the EVR/HDCP handshake regressions.

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Who is affected — scope and real‑world impact​

Not a streaming outage — a legacy‑path problem​

Modern streaming clients and most app‑managed DRM flows (web/Edge/Chrome players, UWP Media Foundation clients) generally use newer rendering pipelines and secure decoders; those were widely reported as not affected. The regression is therefore narrow in scope but high impact for the affected install base: Home Theater PC (HTPC) owners, Blu‑ray/DVD collectors who use Windows applications for playback, broadcast/tuner capture operators, kiosk/digital‑signage solutions that rely on protected content playback, and certain archival or education setups.

Enterprise footprint for the WUSA/.msu problem​

The WUSA/.msu issue predominantly impacts administrators who run .msu installers from network shares or scripted deployment workflows using WUSA. Microsoft explicitly notes this is not a common personal‑user scenario, but it can break scripted rollouts in small and large organizations. The immediate mitigation is simple — copy .msu files locally first — but organizations should apply KIR artifacts where provided and update deployment scripts to avoid remote WUSA installs until a permanent fix is in place.

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Timeline — how the regression surfaced and Microsoft’s response​

• August 29, 2025 — Microsoft released a non‑security preview update, KB5064081, to the 24H2 servicing branch. Community testers later associated early playback failures with this flight.
• September 9, 2025 — The September cumulative update KB5065426 folded the preview changes into mainstream servicing, widening the impacted population.
• Mid‑September 2025 — Microsoft added the protected‑playback regression to its Windows Release Health / known‑issues pages and began triage. Community reporting and vendor logs amplified the issue’s visibility.
• September 17–29, 2025 — Microsoft staged a targeted remediation to the Release Preview channel as KB5065789 (preview builds 26100.6718/6725 and 26200.6718/6725), which Microsoft says addresses EVR/HDCP protected playback for many impacted applications.
• September 30, 2025 — Microsoft published the Windows 11, version 25H2 known‑issues page and began the 25H2 enablement rollout, marking the issue as mitigated for many configurations while work continues on remaining audio‑DRM cases.

Community reproductions and forum posts tracked this same sequence and validated that the fix in the Release Preview restored playback for many affected players during pilot tests.

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Practical mitigations and deployment guidance​

Short‑term, immediate steps (for all users)​

• If you rely on Blu‑ray/DVD playback inside Windows apps or use broadcast/tuner capture tools, pause installing the 25H2 enablement package or the implicated servicing updates on content‑critical devices until the public fix is in your servicing channel. Test before you upgrade.
• Keep GPU and capture‑card drivers up to date from vendor pages (NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, and capture card OEMs). The protected rendering chain touches GPU drivers; vendor updates can be necessary even after Microsoft’s OS fix.
• If you must play protected content immediately, use a separate device (standalone Blu‑ray player or an unpatched machine) as a fallback. Do not assume a rolled‑out cumulative update will fix your case until you validate in your environment.

For administrators and IT pros (recommended actions)​

• Pilot 25H2 in a small ring that represents your legacy workflows (HTPCs, kiosks, tuner/capture machines, and any systems that install .msu from network shares).
• For .msu installs from network shares, change deployment scripts: copy .msu files to the local disk on the target machine and run WUSA from a local path. Alternatively, extract the .msu to a CAB and use DISM for local deployment.
• Use Known Issue Rollback (KIR) Group Policy artifacts where Microsoft has published them to quickly mitigate the WUSA issue on managed devices; consult the Release Health guidance for the specific MSI and GPO package names.
• Maintain a driver inventory and coordinate with GPU and capture‑card OEMs to validate the Release Preview remediation before broad rollout. Some driver combinations may still require vendor updates after Microsoft’s platform fix.

Workarounds for the two issues​

• Playback: There is no guaranteed universal workaround for all EVR/HDCP failures. The only reliable short‑term options are to (a) enroll representative devices in Microsoft’s Release Preview channel and validate KB5065789 for your players, (b) use alternate playback hardware, or (c) use modern streaming apps that do not rely on EVR. Microsoft characterizes KB5065789 as partially resolving EVR/HDCP failures while it continues work on audio DRM cases.
• WUSA/.msu: Copy the .msu file to a local folder on the target machine and run wusa.exe from there; do not double‑click an .msu on a share that contains multiple .msu files. Microsoft’s Release Health also advises that the issue is mitigated for most home devices via KIR.

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How to validate in your environment — a short checklist​

• Run winver or Settings → System → About and note your Windows build and version (24H2 vs 25H2 and OS build).
• If you use legacy players, perform a controlled test: before upgrading, preserve a system image or backup, update the test device to the target OS build, then attempt protected playback and capture scenarios you depend on. Record Event Viewer entries and player logs.
• For deployment scripts that use WUSA, test copying .msu files locally and automating local installs in a staging ring. If you require group‑level mitigations, prepare the KIR Group Policy MSI per Microsoft’s guidance.
• Validate GPU and capture‑card driver versions by comparing vendor release notes against Microsoft’s Release Preview notes; do not assume driver compatibility until vendor validation is confirmed.

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Strengths, limitations, and risk analysis​

Notable strengths in Microsoft’s approach​

• Microsoft published a transparent, public Release Health status page that identifies affected scenarios and recommended mitigations, helping admins plan. The company also used Known Issue Rollback (KIR) and targeted Release Preview fixes rather than a blanket global rollback, which reduces blast radius while engineering validates a permanent repair.
• The Release Preview KB (KB5065789) demonstrates a focused, surgical fix approach: address the EVR/HDCP handshake regressions while preserving other security hardenings.

Risks and limitations to expect​

• Long‑tail compatibility: Legacy APIs like EVR remain in active use; service‑level changes can still break small but critical workflows. Even after Microsoft’s fix arrives in the general channel, mismatched or older GPU/capture drivers may require vendor updates to fully restore playback.
• Perception and support load: Blocking playback of legitimately purchased content produces outsized frustration among hobbyists and operators of AV systems, leading to elevated support demand that can stress vendor and Microsoft channels.
• Incomplete resolution window: Microsoft describes the fix as partial for EVR/HDCP cases and explicitly notes that some DRM audio scenarios may still fail; treat any claims of broad resolution with cautious validation until your exact hardware and player combination is confirmed working.

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Practical verdict and deployment recommendations​

For most mainstream consumers who use browser‑ or app‑based streaming (Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube, etc.), the 25H2 enablement package is unlikely to introduce visible regression and can be adopted with standard precautions: keep backups, update drivers, and allow the phased rollout to reach your device.
For enthusiasts, HTPC owners, broadcast/tuner users, kiosk operators, and imaging teams who create or deploy .msu packages from network shares: adopt a conservative deployment posture.

• Delay broad 25H2 deployment on content‑critical devices until KB5065789 (or the subsequent cumulative containing the fix) is confirmed working for your exact player + GPU + capture configuration.
• For managed fleets that use WUSA installers from network shared folders, change deployment flows to copy installers locally first and prepare KIR Group Policy as a mitigation for devices that already encountered the ERROR_BAD_PATHNAME symptom.

IT administrators should maintain test rings that include niche workflows and devices still reliant on SMBv1 or NetBIOS fallbacks, because servicing regressions often surface first in these edge use cases. The safest path forward is pilot → validate → staged rollout.

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What to watch next​

• Monitor Microsoft’s Windows Release Health page for status changes to the EVR/HDCP and WUSA entries, and for announcements that the Release Preview remediation has been folded into a general‑channel cumulative.
• Watch GPU and capture‑card vendor advisories (NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, Blackmagic, Hauppauge, etc.) for driver validations stating compatibility with the KB5065789 fix and subsequent cumulative updates.
• If you manage a fleet, track Known Issue Rollback (KIR) configuration artifacts and safeguard IDs in Windows Update for Business reports so you can quickly activate mitigations where Microsoft has published them.

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Conclusion​

The Windows 11 version 25H2 rollout is a reminder of the tradeoffs intrinsic to modern servicing: small, fast enablement packages reduce install friction for the majority, but recent kernel/DRM hardening introduced a narrow regression that disproportionately affects legacy media playback chains and certain administrative workflows. Microsoft has acknowledged the issues, published mitigation steps, staged a targeted Release Preview repair (KB5065789) for the EVR/HDCP playback regression, and applied Known Issue Rollback for the WUSA/.msu installation problem — yet the fix is partial for some DRM audio scenarios and requires vendor driver coordination in certain environments.
The pragmatic course for hobbyists and administrators is straightforward: prioritize risk‑based testing, keep a fallback playback device or image available, update and validate vendor drivers, and delay broad 25H2 deployment on content‑critical systems until the remediation is confirmed against your exact hardware and software stack. For IT teams deploying updates via WUSA, copy .msu files locally or use DISM/WSUS channels and prepare the Known Issue Rollback GPO if required. Microsoft’s transparency and targeted remediation path reduce the blast radius of this regression, but the episode underlines that platform servicing will continue to demand careful pilot testing for legacy and niche workflows.

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Source: Faharas News Microsoft confirms bugs in Windows 11 version 25H2 affecting media playback and updates. - Faharas News