The most recent update for Windows 10 appears to be having installation issues for certain users, and it is reportedly causing major problems for a small number of those impacted.
This relates to Microsoft’s monthly round of patching, KB5017308(opens in new tab), which was issued earlier this week and may be significant for Windows 10 users since it “addresses security concerns for your Windows operating system,” according to Windows Latest(opens in new tab).
Additionally, it resolves a number of issues with the desktop operating system, including the inability of some games to install. Ironically, though, some people are having trouble installing the September update, which results in some of the strange and useless error messages we’ve seen in the past.
You know the type: error 0x800f081f, with reports of error 0x8000ffff, error 0x8007007e, and who could forget that old classic, error 0x80073701. Windows Latest also mentions reports of these errors.
According to reports on Microsoft’s Feedback Hub like this one, the update appears to download but fails to install (opens in new tab).
Windows Latest also informs us that in the worst circumstances of installation failure in this case, PCs are entering some sort of reboot cycle, though the website claims it is unsure of how often this additional problem may be. For the time being, add your own seasoning.
We did discover a complaint from one affected customer on the Microsoft Answers.com site (opens in new tab) who is having trouble with their PC hanging when it restarts (and this happened with the update previous to KB5017308, too).
Analysis: An ongoing problem that demands immediate attention
This is obviously a headache since if KB5017308 fails to install, you won’t get the benefits of the aforementioned repairs and security patches to protect your computer.
Instead of using Windows Update, it is possible to try a manual install and download the update from the Microsoft Update Catalog. This may work, but some reports we’ve received indicate it won’t. There are no assurances, but it might be worth a go.
These unusual issues and install failures have been present for a while, and as the user above noted, they were problematic with both the August and September updates for Windows 10.
Hopefully Microsoft will look at the issue of these update installation bugs with Windows 10 that seem to occur far too frequently. Due to the lack of feedback with these problem warnings and the requirement to flail about Googling (or Binging?) for potential remedies, they’re likely to be a source of aggravation, which is hardly desirable for people who find themselves affected.
