HoloLens 2 headsets bricked by troubled Insider build, according to reports

If you have a HoloLens 2 headset running on Insider build 20346.1466, you may be on a crash course with trouble. As called out by HoloLens owners on Reddit and verified by someone claiming to be a Microsoft employee as well as official Microsoft documentation, it seems Redmond released a potentially dangerous Insider build to owners of the ultra-expensive AR headset (via The Register).

In short, the build may brick HoloLens. You can read more about the intricacies of the issue over on Microsoft’s document discussing the build. Here are the official steps provided to check if you’re affected:

1. Reboot – Hold down the power until the LED’s step down.
2. Power up.
3. Confirm you see the Windows flag at the beginning of the boot and it goes black shortly after that.
4. Connect your HoloLens2 to your PC with USB and run Advanced Recovery companion.
5. Select the HoloLens.
6. If the version says you are running the 20346.1466 build, you likely hit this issue.

If you are stuck with a bricked HoloLens 2 as a result of the above information, you’ll need to reflash the device. Microsoft has an Advanced Recovery Companion (ARC) app for this sort of situation.

Remember that Insider builds do carry more risk than retail builds, and this scenario is just one example of that. Also remember that Microsoft is building a variant of HoloLens for the U.S. Army, though that deal has seen a delay.