14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 8.1 Update is still causing lots of problems to a number of users attempting to install it from Windows Update, but a few days of complete silence, Microsoft has finally acknowledged the issue and provided a fix to address it.
An advisory intuitively called “Error 0x80071a91 when installing update 2919355 in Windows” reveals that in some cases, “when you install update 2919355 by using Windows Update in Windows RT 8.1, Windows 8.1, or Windows Server 2012 R2, the installation fails with error code 0x80071a91,” so consumers are recommended to download a small patch to fix the issues.
Microsoft clearly states that this update does not replace a previously-released update, so you need to install it only after you install the original KB2919355 released by the company.
According to information included in this advisory, the following Windows 8.1 Update versions are being affected by the 0x80071a91 error: Windows RT 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter, Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard, Windows Server 2012 R2 Foundation, Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials, Windows 8.1, Windows 8.1 Pro, and Windows 8.1 Enterprise.
Keep in mind, however, that some users are experiencing different problems when trying to install Windows 8.1 Update, so this particular fix only comes to address error code 0x80071a91, so do not download it unless you are experiencing this problem.
One of the users who posted on Microsoft’s Community forums, a different workaround could actually help users get Windows 8.1 Update running on their computers.
Here’s what he says in a very short post on the forums:
“After numerous failed attempts to install Windows 8.1 Update 1, I did a System Restore to bring my system back to a time before I installed any of the other Patch Tuesday updates. After that, I went into Windows Update, and clicked ‘Check for updates’ and unselected all the other updates and then I selected Windows 8.1 Update 1 by itself. It installed successfully! Then, after a reboot, I installed the remaining updates and those installations were also successful,” he wrote.
Nobody can guarantee if this workaround could also work for you too, but in case you’re experiencing issues with Windows 8.1 Update, it won’t hurt to give it a try.
At the same time, you might also want to have a look at the other fix found by users who were trying to deal with Windows 8.1 Update installation issues, but again, it appears that it only works for a limited number of computers.