Windows 10 users, yes, that was a rocky spell, but you have to be on high alert again. Here’s everything you need to know.
Windows 10 updates continue to cause problems
How to upgrade to Windows 10 for free in 2020 [Updated]
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Taken over by BleepingComputer and Windows Latest, the first problems with Microsoft’s new update KB4535996 in Windows 10 are now out of control. Here are the main issues you should be aware of:
Startup problems and crashes
The former seems to be prevalent among users who installed KB4535996, with significant delays in PCs starting after installing the update and sometimes showing a disconcerting black screen halfway through the extended boot process. My own PC has this problem.
That said, if you have this problem, you’re in luck because for others, their PC won’t start at all:
“I just got this update on my PC and now it doesn’t start. BIOS POST test fails with a series of beeps, screen completely blank. I bought it only 5 days ago, I tried to reinstall the RAM and the GPU. Difficult to decipher the beeps because the screen is empty and I do not know what MB is made of. (8 regular slow beeps. Then a repeat of two low slow beeps, two quick beeps – if that means anything to anyone!) I had a lot of work to do, but I guess not, thanks Microsoft: (I assume there is no way to fix this and the PC is now dead, as it will not restart now, to receive a Windows update patch … to fix this ‘update patch’ ? “- source
Blue screen of death
The infamous BSOD also hits users with KB4535996 installed with the blue screen appearing when Windows loads the login screen. It seems to be less common, but when it hits, it can hit hard. Bleeping Computer highlights the fate of a particular company:
“Seeing this problem with about 200 machines. Uninstalling the update is not done properly and always gets stuck on initial startup. “
Slowdowns
Windows 10 stutters, lower frame rates (mainly in games), high disk usage, and thrashing have also been reported.
“It’s not extreme, but I say that my gaming framerate has dropped by about 10 frames and that stuttering occurs from time to time,” wrote one user on Reddit. “After uninstalling the cumulative update, everything was fine. Weird. “
“Can confirm. I increased my CPU usage and caused stuttering even on the easiest games to run, “- source
“After installing the update, disk usage in the task manager is 100% all the time, and my PC is slow now!” – source
Audio problems
Installing KB4535996 also resulted in reports of broken audio in Windows 10:
“Thanks to the recent update, I have no more sound on my computer, I have tried everything and nothing will correct it apart from restoring the update, the point is [I] shouldn’t have to. Microsoft must collect its ****. ” – source
“The latest update from Microsoft caused my audio to stop responding.” – source
“I updated on March 1st I only have intermittent shutdown problems now sound problems video problems I can’t uninstall even after a reset” – source
Microsoft Visual Studio impacted
The Visual Studio code signing tool signtool.exe seems largely faulty to many users. Coder Rafael Rivera seems to have found its root Warning: “If you have problems with signtool.exe, check if KB4535996 (CU 2020-02 optional) is installed. It looks like WTLogConfigCiScriptEvent has been removed from wldp.dll without sufficient testing. “
Microsoft has also issued a warning regarding this issue: “We are aware of problems with signtool.exe after installing the latest optional update for Windows 10, version 1903 or Windows 10, version 1909 (KB4535996). If you have problems or receive errors related to signtool.exe, you can uninstall the optional update KB4535996. We are working on a resolution and believe that a solution will be available in mid-March. “
And yet, here is the crazy part: go to page KB4535996 and Microsoft always writes: “Microsoft is not currently aware of any problem with this update”. The company doesn’t regularly update the warnings on the troubled Windows 10 updates (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7), but this time it’s particularly poor.
Although some users have encountered problems while uninstalling KB4535996, here are the steps to follow:
- In Windows Desktop Search, type “update history”, then click “View your update history”
- Select “Uninstall updates”
- In the Installed Updates dialog box, locate and select KB4535996, click the Uninstall button.
- To restart
You can also download the Windows Update troubleshooter, which will allow you to proactively block KB4535996 / prevent it from reinstalling.
All of these issues arise just weeks after an update to Windows 10 started to delete user data while another was extracted a few days earlier to cause system crashes. Microsoft recently rolled out the optional Windows 10 update improvements first announced in September, but the quality of the updates themselves still leaves much to be desired.
Microsoft, it’s time to do better.
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