Microsoft has always been raising the bar of the tech world, but we all are aware that mistakes are a part of the progression. Likewise, Microsoft has recently caught up with a bug where opening and closing your laptop could crash the Windows 10. I’m sure you are worried now because it is so obvious that laptops are meant to be opened and closed regularly. Well, Microsoft has confirmed that there is a bug in Desktop Windows Manager where you could crash the Windows 10 if you repeatedly open and close your laptop. It was unveiled in a recent Microsoft Support Entry that this bug affects those laptops which run on all versions of Windows 10 and use a 4K resolution configuration either via device display itself or an external monitor.
Well if you are currently using the laptop mentioned above and flipping the lid open and shut way too many times, then definitely you are putting the Windows 10 at risk, doing so can completely crash the Windows 10 because of this weird bug. However, it is assured by Microsoft that the bug present in the Microsoft DirectX Video Memory Management component causes the DWM crash. It has absolutely nothing to do with the hardware issue. It is still not clear how many times would it take to call on the crash. However, Microsoft has only mentioned that if you do it frequently, the Desktop Window Manager (DWM) would stop responding (the count is still not clear). But don’t worry; Microsoft is working to rectify this issue promptly.
There are basically (or we can say, fortunately) two scenarios where the Desktop Windows Manager stops responding. Both scenarios involve a 4K resolution. Let’s study what exactly these scenarios are:
Scenario 1:
- The bug can manifest when you plug a High-Definition Multimedia Interface monitor into a laptop computer that is running on Windows 10.
- This Monitor is configured to operate at 4K resolution
- When you frequently play a 4K H264 video in Movies & TV on the computer
- When you open the Advanced Settings screen of the Power Options item in the control panel and then you set Lid Close Action as Do Nothing.
- During the time the 4K video is playing back and you close and open the computer lid over and over.
Scenario 2:
- When a thunderbolt 3 docking station is connected to two 4K monitors.
- The docking solution is connected to a laptop that has a 4K solution monitor, and then you configure a triple 4K display configuration in either “Clone” or “Extend” mode.
- When you repeatedly undock and re-lock the laptop.
So after studying both scenarios, it must be clear to you that your laptop is not responsible for this issue (don’t even think to resell it). Even though Microsoft is working to solve this issue, it’s still not clear when exactly the fix would be done. All we can do is to assume this fix would turn up in the next patch Tuesday update (mostly to show up on PCs on August 10).
Jasmeen Kaur
A Content Writer, who never stops preaching and practicing every day in order to add interest and value to the readers' lives.
