Microsoft has fixed the nasty update bug causing Windows 11 boot loops

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Let the forced rollout begin, whether we like it or not.

Windows 11
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Microsoft says a known issue causing reboot loops and problems with the taskbar after a Windows 11 update has been resolved. The situation forced Microsoft to halt the Windows 11 23H2 update rollout on June 27 and affected Windows 11 22H2. Microsoft issued an update squishing the bug on July 9.

The reboot loop problem only affected those using virtual machine tools and virtualization features, such as CloudPC, DevBox, and Azure Virtual Desktop. Some users also reported seeing problems with VMware virtual machines. Those running Windows Home edition were much less likely to experience the bug since virtualization is less common in those environments.

What was frustrating for many was that they might have installed the boot loop-causing update without wanting to. Microsoft began a forced rollout of its Windows 11 2023 Update in February, meaning the only way to avoid it would have been to turn off the Windows Update service or disconnect the PC from the internet. Neither of those would have been a viable option for many users.

Since the bug was somewhat limited in scope, Microsoft had already resumed the update’s rollout. However, it blocked the update for Windows users running virtualization software. With the fix for the issue released, we should expect the forced rollout to resume for all Windows 11 computers.

The July 9 update also fixes a known issue with the Taskbar. Affecting those running Windows N Edition or who had disabled Media Features, many users had problems where the Taskbar would not load after installing the 23H2 update. After installing the July 9 updates, those affected users should be able to see the Taskbar on boot up again.

One known issue from Microsoft’s June updates remains a problem. In this bug, the Photos app might fail to start when BlockNonAdminUserInstall is enabled. It applies to devices updating the Microsoft Photos app from the Windows store on or after June 4, 2024. Once again, Windows Home users are unlikely to experience this bug — those in home environments aren’t usually applying the policies believed to be troublesome.

Jeff Butts
Jeff Butts
Contributing Writer

Jeff Butts has been covering tech news for more than a decade, and his IT experience predates the internet. Yes, he remembers when 9600 baud was “fast.” He especially enjoys covering DIY and Maker topics, along with anything on the bleeding edge of technology.

11 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Amdlova
    Micosoft bug enterprise has solved a issue on they software? Just broken another thousands bugs for everyone be happy
    Reply
  • td47
    Amdlova said:
    Micosoft bug enterprise has solved a issue on they software? Just broken another thousands bugs for everyone be happy
    Sorry, your comment does not make any sense to me, maybe you can clarify your post?
    Reply
  • FoxTread3
    July 16, 2024 - This kind of off topic, but the pain in my pajamas is Windows 10 2024-01 Security Update for Windows 10 Version 22H2 die x64 -based Systems (KB5034441). I followed the insipid suggestion "to search the web or contact support for information, this may help: (Ox80070643)." Umm.. no it didn't but when I did a Google search I found that a lot of people were having the same problem with that file. Frankly, I did NOT contact "support" but viewed a number of videos, one of which was from a gentleman who seems to be quite knowledgeable, who explained what the problem was, said that it shouldn't interfere with future downloads and that it was up to Microsoft to correct the problem. It's been months, and they still to my knowledge have NOT addressed the issue, or provided a fix. I run Win10 and Win11 machines, and use Comodo for my security. I haven't had any issues but it annoys me that Microsoft sends out these files, and then expects the customers to research how to correct issues. That's Microsoft's job. I guess I'm expecting too much. :disappointed:
    Reply
  • CmdrShepard
    FoxTread3 said:
    July 16, 2024 - This kind of off topic, but the pain in my pajamas is Windows 10 2024-01 Security Update for Windows 10 Version 22H2 die x64 -based Systems (KB5034441). I followed the insipid suggestion "to search the web or contact support for information, this may help: (Ox80070643)." Umm.. no it didn't but when I did a Google search I found that a lot of people were having the same problem with that file. Frankly, I did NOT contact "support" but viewed a number of videos, one of which was from a gentleman who seems to be quite knowledgeable, who explained what the problem was, said that it shouldn't interfere with future downloads and that it was up to Microsoft to correct the problem. It's been months, and they still to my knowledge have NOT addressed the issue, or provided a fix. I run Win10 and Win11 machines, and use Comodo for my security. I haven't had any issues but it annoys me that Microsoft sends out these files, and then expects the customers to research how to correct issues. That's Microsoft's job. I guess I'm expecting too much. :disappointed:
    That error code means ERROR_INSTALL_FAILURE.

    Yeah, not helpful.

    However, when your updates start failing it is usually a sign that your Windows installation is corrupted.

    Specifically, Windows component store which resides in C:\Windows\WinSXS (side-by-side assemblies).

    That folder contains system files which are hard-linked into various other system folders. When they need to be updated Windows Update downloads a differential patch file so for example if it has to update kernel32.dll version 1.2.3.0 to 1.2.3.1 it will apply the patch to the original file to create a new file which will be stored in its own folder. Then the hardlink to the old file in C:\Windows\System32 will be removed and new file will be linked in its place. Sheduled maintenance will clean up the accumulated files periodically so that Windows Update doesn't slow to a crawl.

    However, if the original file is missing or corrupted in your Windows image then the patch can't be applied and the whole update fails to install.

    To troubleshoot those failures first thing to do is to run:

    dism /online /cleanup-image /scanhealth
    That will tell you the state of your component store. Standard response is "No component store corruption detected" (in which case there might be the issue with the update itself).

    However, if you get "Component store is repairable", then you should try to fix it before attempting any further updates. To do so, you can try:

    dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
    If that doesn't work, you can also try this:

    sfc /scannow
    But if that doesn't manage to repair it then the only way is to do the manual fixing. For that you will have to consult the CBS log located in:

    C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log
    After trying to restore health using dism tool try searching the CBS log for the text "error" from the end of the file backwards. Usually some system file will be missing and restoring it will require that you get the installation ISO, mount install.wim and extract the original file from there or copy exact file version from some other PC running the same Windows version.

    Once you have the file re-run the scan health command and if it reports no component store corruption the next step is:

    dism /online /cleanup-image /startcomponentcleanup /resetbase
    That will force the maintenance and remove all superseeded files then reset the image base to the newest file versions so the previously installed updates can't be removed anymore which will greatly speedup the future updates.

    Once that completes, run disk cleanup (cleanmgr), then trim the drive (dfrgui) and you are good to install the updates again.

    Note that if you get the "Component store is corrupted" instead of "Component store is repairable" you shouldn't waste time but instead just backup your stuff and reinstall Windows.

    TL;DR -- update installation failures are very rarely fault of the update itself.

    Hope it helps.
    Reply
  • FoxTread3
    CmdrShepard said:
    That error code means ERROR_INSTALL_FAILURE.

    Yeah, not helpful.

    However, when your updates start failing it is usually a sign that your Windows installation is corrupted.

    Specifically, Windows component store which resides in C:\Windows\WinSXS (side-by-side assemblies).

    That folder contains system files which are hard-linked into various other system folders. When they need to be updated Windows Update downloads a differential patch file so for example if it has to update kernel32.dll version 1.2.3.0 to 1.2.3.1 it will apply the patch to the original file to create a new file which will be stored in its own folder. Then the hardlink to the old file in C:\Windows\System32 will be removed and new file will be linked in its place. Sheduled maintenance will clean up the accumulated files periodically so that Windows Update doesn't slow to a crawl.

    However, if the original file is missing or corrupted in your Windows image then the patch can't be applied and the whole update fails to install.

    To troubleshoot those failures first thing to do is to run:

    dism /online /cleanup-image /scanhealth
    That will tell you the state of your component store. Standard response is "No component store corruption detected" (in which case there might be the issue with the update itself).

    However, if you get "Component store is repairable", then you should try to fix it before attempting any further updates. To do so, you can try:

    dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
    If that doesn't work, you can also try this:

    sfc /scannow
    But if that doesn't manage to repair it then the only way is to do the manual fixing. For that you will have to consult the CBS log located in:

    C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log
    After trying to restore health using dism tool try searching the CBS log for the text "error" from the end of the file backwards. Usually some system file will be missing and restoring it will require that you get the installation ISO, mount install.wim and extract the original file from there or copy exact file version from some other PC running the same Windows version.

    Once you have the file re-run the scan health command and if it reports no component store corruption the next step is:

    dism /online /cleanup-image /startcomponentcleanup /resetbase
    That will force the maintenance and remove all superseeded files then reset the image base to the newest file versions so the previously installed updates can't be removed anymore which will greatly speedup the future updates.

    Once that completes, run disk cleanup (cleanmgr), then trim the drive (dfrgui) and you are good to install the updates again.

    Note that if you get the "Component store is corrupted" instead of "Component store is repairable" you shouldn't waste time but instead just backup your stuff and reinstall Windows.

    TL;DR -- update installation failures are very rarely fault of the update itself.

    Hope it helps.
    July 17, 2024 - OMG.. 😮 and thank you so much for reaching out with all of that information. Everything you've provided is basically way above my computer literacy, and skills. In situations like this, as your instructions indicate. There are so many variables. I'll look into your suggestions, but in all honesty. I'm not above going nuclear, and doing a total reinstall if necessary. I have a good number of back up external drives so I shouldn't have to worry about losing anything important. It's just annoying to have to jump through all of those hoops. Once again, you have been most kind, and I sincerely thank you for your assistance. stay well.😊
    Reply
  • CmdrShepard
    FoxTread3 said:
    July 17, 2024 - OMG.. 😮 and thank you so much for reaching out with all of that information. Everything you've provided is basically way above my computer literacy, and skills. In situations like this, as your instructions indicate. There are so many variables. I'll look into your suggestions, but in all honesty. I'm not above going nuclear, and doing a total reinstall if necessary. I have a good number of back up external drives so I shouldn't have to worry about losing anything important. It's just annoying to have to jump through all of those hoops. Once again, you have been most kind, and I sincerely thank you for your assistance. stay well.😊
    No problem.
    Reply
  • FoxTread3
    CmdrShepard said:
    No problem.
    👍 👍 :blush: Thanks again!
    Reply
  • cathodd
    As of 8/2, the Windows 11 update KB5040442 is still borked for me.

    I've tried deleting the update cache, and installing it manually. Neither have worked, and the pc gets stuck in a reboot loop until it finally reverts to before the update.

    I am not running virtualization on this pc. It is an AM5 laptop though as I see others with AM5 systems have experienced issues.

    Not sure where to go from here as this has been an ongoing problem for a month now.
    Reply
  • FoxTread3
    August 2, 2024 - I hope and assume that people in this forum that are knowledgeable than myself. Will offer you help. In the meantime, should no one else try to assist you in a timely manner. I suggest doing a fresh install of Windows. Many Tech experts recommend doing that from time to time anyway. If I am not mistaken, Microsoft makes it possible to do it online via their services, if you can't or don't want to do it locally using your copy of Windows. Good luck and stay well:blush:
    Reply
  • cathodd
    FoxTread3 said:
    August 2, 2024 - I hope and assume that people in this forum that are knowledgeable than myself. Will offer you help. In the meantime, should no one else try to assist you in a timely manner. I suggest doing a fresh install of Windows. Many Tech experts recommend doing that from time to time anyway. If I am not mistaken, Microsoft makes it possible to do it online via their services, if you can't or don't want to do it locally using your copy of Windows. Good luck and stay well:blush:
    Thanks I might do that. Or just use it as the final push to completely switch to linux lol. I've had the laptop for 2 months. Literally.
    Reply