The latest Windows 11 Security Update fails to install for some users
Microsoft has just confirmed a Windows Update issue that affects the company's Windows 11 operating system. Some users may experience issues installing the most recent security update for the operating system.
Microsoft released the security update on February 13, 2024 as part of its February 2024 Patch Day. The update, which has the ID KB5034765, is the most recent cumulative update for Windows 11 at the time of writing. It is offered for devices running Windows 11 version 22H2 and 23H2.
The update fixed 41 unique security issues in both operating system versions. Two of the issues are rated critical, which is the highest rating available. Apart from security fixes, the update moved the Copilot for Windows icon to the right side of the taskbar. The feature is rolling out gradually to all devices with the security update installed.
Microsoft did not list any known issues at the time for the update. The issue happens if the update is downloaded through Windows Update and also if it is downloaded manually. Deleting downloaded Windows Update files does not resolve it.
KB5034765: the issue
The installation of the update may fail on Windows 11 devices. Microsoft says that users may notice that the update fails at exactly 96% and that users may get the error message "Something didn’t go as planned. No need to worry – undoing changes. Please keep your computer on" on the screen.
Windows administrators who check the Event Log of the system may see the error code 0x800F0922 there, which confirms it.
Microsoft says that deleting the hidden folder C:\$WinREAgent on the Windows device fixes the issue. Administrators may need to restart the operating system to complete the deletion of the folder.
The cumulative security update should install without the issue afterwards. Administrators may need to open Settings > Windows Update to install it again. It may be necessary to activate the "check for updates" button there to reveal it again.
The Windows Release Health website offers no explanation on the issue. While it is clear that the folder C:\$WinREAgent plays a role, it is unclear which.
Deleting the $WinREAgent is a common remedy for issues with specific updates for Windows. The folder contains temporary files that are created as part of update processes on Windows devices. The removal is temporary only, as it will be recreated the next time updates are installed on the device.
Closing Words
Microsoft says that it is working on a permanent solution for the issue. Affected Windows 11 users may want to follow Microsoft's advice and delete the hidden system folder before retrying the installation of the update on the device.
Now You: did you run into update issues recently?
Manually download and install updates from here instead: https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=Cumulative%20Update%20×64%20Windows%2011%2023h2
Make sure you install .net framework update first.
Windows updates breaking something is always anticipated.
I used to dread updating windows because that meant windows may cause itself to not become bootable.
I downloaded it to a USB stick on my Win 8.1 machine and then installed it on the Win11 22h2 machine without connecting it to the Web. Didn’t experience an issues with it using that method.
If any company in any line of business sucked this bad this often, they’d be out of business in short order. Multi-trillion dollar valuation and a total stranglehold on business computing means “We can screw up as much as we want, nothing will happen.”
Microsoft never disappoints. I am so proud of Minionsoft at this point! Thanks for the article! :]
I had no issues updating Windows 11 23H2, but I read where this error affects Windows 10 (most versions) and an old version of Windows 11 (21H2).
At one time, Microsoft recommended increasing the size of the Recovery partition, and furnished a PS script for this purpose. I think that this is the error you are writing about, but there are so many errors, I get confused with them all.
Updates installed for me, but did notice search in Start seems to flicker briefly and crash. Definitely some bugs in this last update. Not really surprised anymore coming from Microsoft. Maybe start using their AI to help fix these issues.
And we trust these guys and girls to keep our computers secure? Say what you want about Linux but even though it’s completely made by volunteers our banks run on the damn thing.
We users should demand better.
It’s absolutely untrue that Linux is “completely made by volunteers”. Linux is not a random opensource hobbiest project. It’s estimated development cost is in the billions $$$. There’s a lot of money going into Linux. There’s dedicated software engineers and investments from a ton of different companies going into Linux. The shear volume of the code is astronomical. It has dedicated teams that get paid to contribute and maintain parts of it. That’s the beauty of the GPL2 license.