Microsoft confirms disappearing SSDs on Windows 11. Here’s how to avoid it

Microsoft has confirmed the disappearing SSD issue on Windows 11 caused by the August 2025 update KB5063878. The problem occurs when users install updates for certain games, such as Cyberpunk 2077 or Honkai: Star Rail, leading to the SSD "disappearing" or the partition appearing as "RAW." This is due to a bug in the update that can cause the storage drive to no longer be recognized by Windows. The issue is triggered by the high write load generated during the installation of large game updates, particularly when the SSD is already more than 60 percent utilized. In such cases, File Explorer may hang or crash, SMART may become unreadable, and input/output errors may occur. While most users are unlikely to encounter this problem, those affected can try restarting their PC, but the error may reoccur. To avoid the issue, users are advised not to install large files or write large amounts of data to their SSDs until Microsoft releases a patch for the problematic update.