14 DAY TRIAL // A number of users are still struggling to deploy Windows 8.1 Update even though the OS update was launched nearly 2 weeks ago to everyone running Windows 8.1.
Time is running out, however, as Microsoft has made Windows 8.1 Update mandatory for Windows 8.1 users, so it’s pretty clear that those struggling to install it are really having a hard time doing it right now.
Basically, users are provided with two or three different error codes when attempting to install Windows 8.1 Update via Windows Update, no matter if they run 32- or 64-bit hardware configuration.
Some of those affected by the bug explained that Windows 8.1 Update installation worked smoothly on a number of computers, but it failed with errors 800f0092 and 80073712 on others, which could be an indication that hardware incompatibility is the root cause of these problems.
“I have the same problem with the error code 80070005 when I'm trying to install Windows 8.1 x64 Update KB2919355 (the big one of aprox. 900 MBytes) only for 1 PC. As yourself, I tried a lot of tricks but none of them worked,” one user wrote on Microsoft’s Community forums.
Basically, it appears that the initial Windows 8.1 Update installation fails to complete and does not remove some of the files it deployed, so relaunching the setup or performing the whole process manually is basically impossible without first deleting the leftovers.
A Microsoft support engineer posted on the company’s forums a workaround very similar to the one we’ve already told you about, so follow these steps to make sure that you manage to install Windows 8.1 Update success. Microsoft’s tutorial is available in the box after the jump, so just click the “Press Release” button and read all the instructions to make sure that you’re on the safe side.
As far as the Windows 8.1 Update is concerned, Microsoft says that everyone needs to install it by May 13 in order to receive other patches and security fixes released by the company as part of the Patch Tuesday rollouts. Redmond says that this is absolutely needed because all future updates will actually be based on this new OS version, so those who won’t install it won’t be able to implement the new features.
Windows 8.1 Update is currently being offered to users via Windows Update, but it’s also available as a manual download in case you do not have an Internet connection or you’re experiencing issues during the installation process.