Microsoft Confirms New Windows Bug Causing Database Connection Issues with Some Apps

Microsoft has acknowledged a new issue with the latest batch of Patch Tuesday updates released on November 8. The company warned that the bug may prevent certain database connections from working on Windows 10 and Windows 11 PCs.

On the Windows Heath Dashboard, Microsoft noted that users might encounter database connectivity problems with some applications that use ODBC (Open Database Connections) via the Microsoft ODBC SQL Server driver. The bug affects Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8.1, and Windows 7 machines.

“You might receive an error within the app or you might receive an error from SQL Server, such as “The EMS System encountered a problem” with “Message: [Microsoft][ODBC SQL Server Driver] Protocol error in TDS Stream” or “Message: [Microsoft][ODBC SQL Server Driver]Unknown token received from SQL Server,” Microsoft explained.

Upcoming updates to fix database connection problems with Windows apps

Microsoft has not provided any temporary workaround solution to address database connection issues with apps on Windows devices. However, users can check whether their PC is running any app that’s using the problematic SQL Server driver. To do this, open the app and run the following command in the Command Prompt: tasklist /m sqlsrv32.dll

Meanwhile, Microsoft is working on a fix and it’s expected to be delivered with the December Patch Tuesday updates. It’s still unclear if this bug affected many Windows users who installed last month’s Patch Tuesday. However, it’s really unfortunate to see Microsoft once again dealing with buggy Windows patches. The company is already investigating another LSASS memory leak bug that causes freezes and reboots on some domain controllers (DCs).

Have you experienced any database connectivity problems while using apps on your PCs? Sound off in the comments down below.