Microsoft forced to pull catastrophic Windows 10 update causing havoc on PCs

Microsoft has stared the new decade exactly how it ended the last one – with a catastrophic update to its Windows 10 desktop operating system that leaves users scrambling to fix their PCs. The latest culprit, the KB4524244 security patch that rolled out to users worldwide on February 11, had already caused some users to lose files. However, that was the tip of the iceberg.

Reports of PCs freezing, problems booting the operating system, as well as installation problems after updating to KB4524244 have now been confirmed by Microsoft. In response, the Redmond-based technology company has pulled the problematic update from Windows Update.

If you haven’t already updated to KB4524244, you’re no longer able to download or install the security patch, which will stop any more users running into these problems.

Microsoft says its KB4524244 was originally designed to address “an issue in which a third-party Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) boot manager might expose UEFI-enabled computers to a security vulnerability.”

Amongst its disastrous unintended consequences, the update can cause the “Reset This PC” feature to fail on Windows 10. For those who were looking to wipe the data from their machine, this is a bad bug.

Trying to remove your personal data from a Windows 10 machine running the latest update will result in the error message “There was a problem resetting your PC,” Microsoft has confirmed.

The software giant is currently working on a patched version of the update. However, Microsoft has not offered a timeframe for when users will be able to safely install the update again.

In the meantime, those who have already installed KB4524244 can fix the issues by following the below instructions:

  • Tap on the Start button or use the Windows Desktop Search function and type “Update History”. Then select the option marked “View Your Update History”.
  • In the Settings/View Update History window that loads up, you’ll need to select “Uninstall Updates”.
  • You’ll then need to find the troublesome KB4524244. Tap to select this update only, then tap “Uninstall”.
  • Restart your device.

It comes as Microsoft rolled out an early preview of its all-new Windows 10X operating system, which is designed for dual-screen and folding devices. It also fixes a number of common complaints with Windows 10, including the amount of time it takes to download and install updates.

Using Windows 10X, Microsoft says the process should take 90 seconds.

source: express.co.uk