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It’s been a rough several days for some Windows users, but Microsoft has released an update that puts an end to the perpetual installation loop caused by a recent cumulative update for the operating system. After downloading KB3194496 for Windows 10, some users flocked to the company’s support forums to report that the update had trapped their systems into an endless update-error-restart cycle.
“We’ve been working diligently on this issue and are finalizing a clean-up script that will fix the underlying issue preventing the install of KB3194496 (Cumulative Update 14393.222) for affected users,” pledged a Microsoft forum moderator on Oct. 3. “Your patience during our research and subsequent work is greatly appreciated.”
Last night, Microsoft contacted eWEEK to report that affected users can download the script.
“We became aware of an issue with the recent Windows 10 cumulative update that impacted a small number of customers in the Windows Insider Program that were running a previous build of the OS,” emailed a spokesperson. “We have created a solution to resolve this issue, which is now live and can be accessed here.”
The Windows Insider program offers participants early access to upcoming builds of the Windows 10 operating system. (A similar program is available for Office users on both Windows and Mac.) In exchange for their feedback, “Insiders” get to take the latest operating system features and optimizations for a spin, well before they are released to the general public.
The fix for build 14393.222, carrying a knowledge base ID of KB3197794 (Microsoft has yet to publish its corresponding online documentation as of this writing), is a scant 52 KB download. Already, a few Microsoft support forum goers reported that they were successfully able to apply the fix.
It’s not the first time a Windows 10 operating system update has gone awry.
Shortly after the Anniversary Update landed on Aug. 2, users of many popular webcams reported that their video capture devices no longer worked, preventing them from recording a podcast or conducting video calls. Microsoft tweaked how the operating system handles MJPEG and H.264 streams and attributed the issues plaguing some users to “dropping the ball” on how it documented the change.
Operating system updates can also cause problems for mobile devices, as some iPad Pro and iPhone users recently learned.
In June, after pulling an update due to bad code, Apple issued an updated version of its iOS upgrade (9.3.2) to correct an issue that bricked the company’s iPad Pro 9.7-inch tablets for some owners. The company reportedly went as far as replacing the iPads of some owners whose devices were left permanently inoperable by the original update.
Last month, in the wake of its eagerly awaited iOS 10 upgrade, some Apple users were once again left holding unresponsive hardware. This time, a number of iPhone and iPad users who had attempted an over-the-air update (versus plugging them into a computer) reported that the process had bricked their devices.