14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has recently pulled Windows 10 security update KB4524244 after the company discovered that in some cases, not only that it fails to install, but it also causes other issues by breaking down certain features of the operating system, such as the Reset this PC option.
This security update was published on February 11 as part of this month’s Patch Tuesday rollout and was aimed at all Windows 10 versions released so far, including those no longer getting updates for Home and Pro SKUs.
The Windows 10 versions that received the KB4524244 update are the following:
- Windows 10 version 1607 (Anniversary Update)
- Windows 10 version 1703 (Creators Update)
- Windows 10 version 1709 (Fall Creators Update)
- Windows 10 version 1803 (May 2018 Update)
- Windows 10 version 1809 (October 2018 Update)
- Windows 10 version 1903 (May 2019 Update)
- Windows 10 version 1909 (November 2019 Update)
Microsoft says there are technically several different issues that you can experience after installing this update, as it follows:
- Installation failure
- Unnamed post-installation errors
- Reset this PC option broken down
However, Microsoft says it pulled the update to prevent these issues from hitting more devices. Systems where the update already installed correctly and no issues are experienced whatsoever don’t need to remove it. On the other hand, if update KB4524244 was installed from Windows Update and you are now encountering the aforementioned errors or any other glitches, removing it is the only way to correct the behavior.
“To help a sub-set of affected devices, this standalone security update has been removed and will not re-offered from Windows Update, Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) or Microsoft Update Catalog. Note This does not affect any other update, including Latest Cumulative Update (LCU), Monthly Rollup or Security Only update,” Microsoft says.
Removing KB4524244 isn’t a difficult thing to do if you can boot to the desktop – if you can’t, you’d better allow Windows to undo changes and then boot to the old desktop; because the update is no longer available for download from Windows Update, it shouldn’t be offered again.
So what you need to do on Windows 10 is follow these steps to uninstall KB4524244:
Windows 10 > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Update History > View your update history > Uninstall updates
Additionally, you can also uninstall the update from the command line. To do this, click the Start menu, type cmd.exe > Right-click Command Prompt > Run as administrator and then in the app type the following command:
wusa /uninstall /kb:KB4524244 /quiet
While Microsoft says it would no longer re-release the update after it corrects the issues, the company claims that a patched version would go live in the coming weeks. Most likely, Microsoft will wait until the next Patch Tuesday rollout to resolve the issues – in March, Patch Tuesday happens on the 10th, so we’re still some three weeks away from the moment a full patch would land.
“We are working on an improved version of this update in coordination with our partners and will release it in a future update,” Microsoft says.