Post-Update Windows 10 PCs Crash When Kindle Is Plugged In

Some Kindles are crashing PCs that have received the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, an issue that has come to light shortly after news that many webcams were broken by the update. According to recent reports, when some Kindles are plugged into these PCs, the computer will crash, resulting in a blue screen of death and forcing the computer to reboot. The extent of the issue isn't known at this time, as the information about it largely comes from affected Kindle/PC owners. Judging by these reports, though, the Kindle Paperwhite seems to be particularly affected.

The issue appears to manifest in a simple way: if you have a PC and it has received the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, plugging a Kindle into it via USB will probably make it crash. The odds of this happening appear to be especially high if you plug in a Kindle Paperwhite. The crash is said to happen only a few moments after plugging in the device.

Some users report experiencing the issue regardless of which make and model laptop they try it on: someone reported having the crash happen on both their HP and their Dell computers after the Anniversary Update was installed. Some Kindle Voyage owners have reported crashes, as well.

It doesn't seem Microsoft has commented on this particular issue at this time. Some users have reported a workaround that is working for them: either plugging in the Kindle while the PC is turned off/sleeping, or leaving it plugged in after the PC crashes and reboots. Upon restarting, some users are able to use their Kindle as normal without the computer crashing again. Unplugging the Kindle and then plugging it back in, though, seems to cause the system to crash all over again.