NEW YORK: Last week, Microsoft released a software update for Windows 10 known as KB 3081424. The forced software update caused many Windows 10 computers to crash repeatedly, which led to a flooding of posts on the Microsoft Support forums about the problems that KB 3081423 caused. For example, Microsoft Community user BrettDM said his Windows 10 computer kept hitting 59% in the software update install process before it restarted and tried again endlessly. The KB 3081424 patch fixed several previous Windows 10 bugs, but it actually caused worse problems in the process.
The endless rebooting is caused by a bad entry in the Windows 10 registry initialized by a failed install of KB 3081424. And the bad entry stopped repeated installation attempts. Some users manually fixed the reboot bug by reinstalling the update after deleting keys in the registry.
Fortunately, Microsoft has issued a new update that fixes the endless rebooting flaw in KB 3081424. The KB 3081436 update also resolves vulnerabilities in Microsoft graphic components, the .NET Framework that allows elevation of privilege and the Mount Manager that could allow elevation of privilege.
Windows 10 installs updates and drivers automatically. Some of those updates and drivers may cause issues with your computer so Microsoft’s staff members have suggested users to skip particular Windows 10 updates. You can uninstall an unwanted Windows Update by typing “View Installed Updates” in the search box. Select the update that you do not want and click on uninstall. You can also download a “Show or hide updates” troubleshooter package from the Microsoft Download Center. This feature lets you select the updates that Windows will install automatically. But the problem with the “Show or hide updates” tool is that it only lets you remove an update after it was automatically installed, which is disadvantageous in cases like the endless rebooting issue.
The KB 3081424 update was the third Windows 10 update and the previous two also caused problems. The first update automatically installed new drivers that caused issues for people that have multiple monitor setups and Nvidia graphics cards. The second update — which is known as KB 3074681 — caused the Windows Explorer file system to crash repeatedly for many users.
There has been a major debate about the decision Microsoft made in forcing updates for Windows 10. The intention of the forced updates is to ensure that Windows 10 users have the latest security updates. But the cons seem to be outweighing the pros as of late. The endless rebooting caused by KB 3081424 was likely very frustrating for the affected users, especially if they were working on tight deadlines and depended on a reliable computer.
