Patch Tuesday was followed by Oopsie Wednesday for some Dell customers, with Microsoft slamming on the update brakes after the hardware maker reported some problems.

Yesterday was Microsoft's monthly security update for Windows. This month was, by all accounts, a bit of a doozy with a record-breaking number of CVEs patched, some of which were classed as critical and under active exploitation. 

Better get patching then? Well, er, no. Not if you're using a Dell device affected by issues associated with the update. Microsoft admitted it affected "some Dell devices with Intel processors," but stopped short of providing a full list.

The Register asked the Windows giant and Dell which models had been hit, but both have yet to respond.

Microsoft confirmed on its update page: "This update might not be available for a limited number of Dell devices with Intel processors due to an incompatibility reported by Dell that can potentially cause unexpected shutdowns, poor performance, increased heat, and battery drain."

And the fix? "We are working together with Dell to prevent the affected models from experiencing the issue and plan to release a resolution for affected devices in the coming days."

While the pair works on a solution, the update is "temporarily unavailable."

Thanks to the sheer number of CVEs in the update, the delay is unfortunate, doubly so when considering that only a week ago, Microsoft was fiercely advocating for users to get patches installed as soon as possible due to the speed at which AI systems can detect and exploit vulnerabilities.

In this instance, Microsoft has acted quickly to halt the update for affected devices. However, the fact that it got this far and can cause surprise shutdowns, overheating, and performance problems does not speak well of the company's validation and quality procedures. Dell is hardly a bit player in the hardware ecosystem.

Somewhere, deep in the heart of Microsoft's Redmond campus, a sad-faced engineer is likely resetting the "Days since we broke something" counter and thinking fondly of the days when the number reached double or triple figures. ®