KB5034204: Cumulative update for Windows 11, version 23H2, January 2024. Start menu search, Bluetooth audio and print-related freezes fixed

• Start menu search works again for some users.¹
  Addresses a search deadlock.

• Video calls are more reliable.²

• The device is less likely to stop responding after you install a print support app.³
  Addresses an intermittent issue that occurs after installing a print support app.

• You can close tooltips in the File Explorer Gallery.⁴

• Bluetooth LE Audio earbuds no longer lose sound while streaming music.⁵
  Addresses sound loss when streaming music to Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) Audio earbuds.

For: devices using Bluetooth phone calls

• Call audio routes through the PC when you answer a Bluetooth phone call on it.⁶

• Certain 7-Zip files no longer appear empty in File Explorer.⁷
  Addresses the issue for certain types of 7-Zip files.

• HTML previews for WPA3 settings render properly in the Group Policy editor.⁸
  Addresses preview rendering for Wi-Fi Protected Access 3 (WPA3).

• The CurrentTimeZone value no longer changes to the wrong value because of a caching issue.⁹
  Addresses a Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) caching issue.
• WMI works in certain scenarios involving mobile device management providers.¹²
  Addresses WMI failures in certain scenarios with mobile device management (MDM) providers, such as Microsoft Intune.

• Text rendering in third-party apps is corrected on a certain architecture.¹⁰
  Addresses an OpenType font driver issue that might affect text rendering for third-party applications on a certain architecture.

• Emoji with a 3D-like appearance render properly.¹¹
  Addresses rendering of the COLRv1 color font format.

For: devices managed by MDM

• MDM services can receive the correct BitLocker data-only encryption information.¹³
  Addresses reporting when using the FixedDrivesEncryptionType or SystemDrivesEncryptionType policy settings in the BitLocker configuration service provider (CSP) node.

• You can automatically configure APN profiles for cellular-enabled devices in the affected scenario.¹⁴
  Addresses APN profile configuration when running netsh mbn show readyinfo *.

For: certain devices with a TPM

• TPM-based features work on certain devices where the TPM did not initialize correctly.¹⁵
  Addresses TPM initialization on certain devices.

• RemoteApp windows no longer remain open on client devices in certain cases after you close them.¹⁶
• In some scenarios, changing the keyboard language applies to RemoteApps.¹⁸

• The remote desktop client is less likely to connect to the wrong session when a user has multiple sessions on the host.¹⁷

For: devices using Windows LAPS

• Post-authentication actions occur at the end of the grace period instead of at restart.¹⁹
  Addresses Windows Local Administrator Password Solution (LAPS) Post Authentication Actions (PAA).

For: devices using Active Directory

• Bind requests to IPv6 addresses work when the requestor is not joined to a domain.²⁰

For: devices managed through the LocalUsersAndGroups CSP

• Group membership processing continues when a group cannot be found.²¹
  Addresses processing by the LocalUsersAndGroups CSP.

• Administrators can choose a group account from a target domain when configuring advanced folder redirection in the affected multi-forest setup.²²
  Addresses deployments where the target domain has a one-way trust with the admin user's domain. Affects ESAE, Hardened Forests, and PAM deployments.

For: devices using smart cards with multiple certificates

• The smart card icon appears at sign-in when the card has multiple certificates.²³

For: devices using smart card authentication on a remote system

• The device no longer shuts down after 60 seconds when you use a smart card to authenticate on a remote system.²⁴

For: Windows 11 version 23H2 PCs in the EEA

• Windows receives changes intended to meet the Digital Markets Act requirements in the European Economic Area.²⁵
  The changes gradually roll out to version 23H2 PCs in the EEA, with compliance planned by March 6, 2024.

• Windows is more reliable during power transitions, reducing the risk of a stop error.²⁶

• The driver blocklist includes additional drivers considered at risk in bring-your-own-vulnerable-driver attacks.²⁷
  Adds quarterly changes to DriverSiPolicy.p7b.

For: UEFI Secure Boot systems

• You can opt to add a renewed signing certificate to the Secure Boot database.²⁸
  Adds a renewed signing certificate to the Secure Boot DB variable on UEFI Secure Boot systems. See KB5036210 for details.

• The snap-in uses stronger certificate mapping by default.²⁹
  The default mapping changes to X509IssuerSerialNumber instead of the weaker x509IssuerSubject.

• The component that installs Windows updates receives quality improvements.³⁰
  The servicing stack update is version 22621.3073 and 22631.3073.