14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has just confirmed that the Windows Update issue that blocked some devices from getting new updates is resolved, and the company says a DNS problem was the one to blame.
In an update posted on the Windows 10 version 1809 page, Microsoft explains that it could take a while until all users get the fix, as it all depends on how fast DNS servers are restored for them.
Microsoft says that the Windows Update issues first appeared on January 29, but says they were also resolved the same day. The reason why users kept complaining about them was that DNS changes are not instantly applied to all devices, and Microsoft recommends to wait for a few more days and the issue should then be fixed.
“The Windows Update service was impacted by a data corruption issue in an external DNS service provider global outage on January 29, 2019,” the company says.
“The issue was resolved on the same day and Windows Update is now operating normally, but a few customers have continued to report issues connecting to the Windows Update service. We expect these issues will go away as downstream DNS servers are updated with the corrected Windows Update DNS entries.”
Patch Tuesday taking place next week
Microsoft fixing the issue is certainly good news, especially as we're getting closer to the February 2019 Patch Tuesday cycle.
Given the bug prevented some devices from checking for updates, a potential bug would technically block Windows 10 systems from getting Windows updates published on Patch Tuesday. These patches typically resolve vulnerabilities in the operating system and other Microsoft products.
I'm still seeing isolated reports that checking for updates fails on some devices, so it's probably just a matter of time until the DNS settings are restored.
Microsoft hasn't provided any other details, as to what ISPs were impacted by the bug.