Microsoft patches Windows 10 issue that accidentally blocked extended security updates from installing — latest update should finally fix all the issues for ESU-eligible devices
Install this update if you want ESU to work properly on your aging Windows 10 computer
(Image credit: Microsoft)
Microsoft has finally addressed all of the issues blocking Extended Security Updates from installing properly on Windows 10 devices that are enrolled in the program. Windows Latest reports that Microsoft has fixed all ESU problems with the out-of-band Windows update KB5071959.
Problems surrounding ESU started shortly after Windows 10's official release lifecycle ended and the ESU program started. One major issue that we covered was Windows 10 telling users their OS had reached end-of-life despite enrolling in extended updates. This problem (hilariously) even occurred on Enterprise editions of Windows 10, specifically LTSC 2021 and LTSC IoT 2021, which are still officially supported by Microsoft (the latter is being supported all the way until 2032). This problem has since been fixed with a cloud config update.
However, there were other problems as well. Windows Latest reports that ESU enrollment would bug out in EU regions, flagging the enrollment process as temporarily unavailable. Another problem was that ESU would generate a "Something went wrong" error when signing up for ESU through free methods (such as enabling Windows Backup).
KB5071959 fixes the two aforementioned issues. If you have not been able to enroll in ESU, this Windows update is paramount to getting the enrollment process working again. However, since this is an out-of-band update, this update is not required if you already have ESU enabled on your Windows 10 device, or if you are able to enroll for ESU without errors showing up.
If you are still on Windows 10 and either refuse to upgrade to Windows 11, or have a system that does not officially support Windows 11. Extended Security Updates (or ESU) is the last wave of support Microsoft is implementing for the 10-year-old operating system. These updates will provide critical security updates to keep Windows 10 secure from threats for the next one to three years. Using Windows 10 without ESU will make your device vulnerable to online attacks. The only caveat is that you'll need to either pay money or enroll through Windows Backup to get into the ESU program (if you don't have 1000 Microsoft reward points, that is). On top of this, ESU also requires you to be signed into a Microsoft account to gain access to it.
