New warning for Windows users.<\/p>\n
VCG via Getty Images<\/p>\n
Update: Republished on April 17 with Microsoft\u2019s confirmation that ineligible PCs are mistakenly upgrading to Windows 11 and news that it\u2019s not only Windows 10 that will be retired in October, users must now brace for another upgrade problem.<\/p>\n
Microsoft is having a moment. April\u2019s updates have caused as many problems as they\u2019ve resolved, at least from a user perspective. Mysterious folders have appeared on PCs along with dire warnings. And now a new error pushes users to redo an update. But Microsoft has now warned that is not the case \u2014 no new update is required. The common theme is that Microsoft is warning users they must do nothing.<\/p>\n
As I reported<\/a> last week, the first and most innocuous of these issues is the empty \u201cinetpub\u201d folder that appeared on devices post April\u2019s update. As tempting as it might be to delete this folder, don\u2019t. Per Windows Latest<\/a>, \u201cyou\u2019re not supposed to remove the folder\u2026 That\u2019s because it\u2019s linked to a security patch for a bug titled CVE-2025-21204, which is a flaw that allows attackers to modify the system files or folders.\u201d<\/p>\n Now we have another do nothing warning. Neowin<\/a> reports that \u201csometimes, dealing with Windows Update issues is much simpler. As simple as just ignoring the error. In recently updated documentation, Microsoft notified users that Windows PCs might experience error 0x80070643 with an “ERROR_INSTALL_FAILURE” message when attempting to install an update for the Windows Recovery Environment or WinRE.\u201d<\/p>\n Forbes\u2018China Is Everywhere\u2019\u2014Your iPhone, Android Phone Now At RiskBy Zak Doffman<\/a><\/p>\n This hits when installing the April 2025 KB5057589 WinRE update and makes it seem as though the update has failed and needs a redo. That\u2019s not the case.<\/p>\n Microsoft<\/a> says that \u201cthis error is observed when the device installs the WinRE update when there is another update in a pending reboot state. Although the error message suggests the update did not complete, the WinRE update is typically applied successfully after the device restarts. Windows Update might continue to display the update as failed until the next daily scan, at which point the update is no longer offered and the failure message is cleared automatically.\u201d<\/p>\n Windows Latest<\/a> explains that \u201cmany users couldn\u2019t install the update because of the partition size for the Recovery disk, which caused the error. But the catch is that the error affected even those who do not have low storage. And that\u2019s where things got tricker because nobody could go past the error message.\u201d But according to Microsoft, \u201cWinRE update is \u2018typically applied successfully\u2019 despite the failure message.\u201d<\/p>\n All of which means once you have applied the April updates, do not update again regardless of the error messages you\u2019re seeing, at least until you have restarted to see if that clears the issue. And don\u2019t delete that \u201cinetpub\u201d security folder either.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a chance the erroneous WinRE error might be a little persistent. But again, says Windows Latest, \u201cjust ignore\u2026 Microsoft has officially recommended users to ignore the errors.\u201d Or to put it even more starkly: \u201cIf you run into Windows Update error code 0x80070643, don\u2019t try to fix it because you can\u2019t do that.\u201d<\/p>\n Microsoft\u2019s has also confirmed a blue screen of death (BSOD) risk for Windows 11 users with its recent updates. Per Windows Latest<\/a>, \u201ca recent Windows 11 24H2 update bug is causing BSOD with stop error code \u2018SECURE_KERNEL_ERROR.\u2019 This affects the last three releases: KB5055523, KB5053656, and KB5053598.\u201d The specialist website says it first spotted \u201cthe BSOD SECURE_KERNEL_ERROR when Microsoft released the March 2025 updates. At that time, Microsoft did not acknowledge the complaints, as the problem appeared to be an isolated case. However, more users are now reporting Blue Screens following the Windows 11 April 2025 updates.\u201d<\/p>\n ForbesStolen Phone\u2014Stop Thieves With This New UpdateBy Zak Doffman<\/a><\/p>\n Microsoft<\/a> warns that \u201cafter installing this update and restarting your device, you might encounter a blue screen exception with error code 0x18B indicating a SECURE_KERNEL_ERROR.\u201d The company says users can mitigate the issue \u201cusing Known Issue Rollback (KIR),\u201d albeit \u201cit might take up to 24 hours for the resolution to propagate automatically to consumer devices and non-managed business devices and business devices that are not managed by IT departments. Restarting your Windows device might help the resolution apply to your device faster.\u201d<\/p>\n Windows Latest says \u201cit looks like the BSOD is not just limited to March 2025 updates because you\u2019ll also run into it if you install Windows 11 KB5055523 (April 2025 Update, and yes \u2013 it\u2019s the same patch that created the inetpub folder out of nowhere). Based on our tests, this BSOD issue affects the following three releases of Windows 11 24H2: KB5053598, released on March 11 as a Patch Tuesday; KB5053656, released on March 27 as an optional update; KB5055523, released on April 8 as a Patch Tuesday update.\u201d<\/p>\n To this you can add the Windows Hello bug that also follows the latest set of upgrades. Per Windows Central<\/a>, \u201cMicrosoft confirmed an issue with Windows 11 that can prevent some people from signing in to a device using Windows Hello. The problem affects using facial recognition to unlock a device. Luckily, the issue only affects a subset of Windows 11 users. Microsoft refers to the issue as an “edge case” and notes that it only appears after installing a specific Windows 11 update and performing a Push button reset or using the Reset this PC feature while selecting Keep my Files and Local install.\u201d<\/p>\n Beyond these issues, Microsoft also adds its usual reminder: \u201cOn October 14, Windows 10 will reach end of support. After this date, devices running Windows 10 will no longer receive fixes for known issues, time zone updates, technical support, or monthly security and preview updates containing protection from the latest security threats.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s the much bigger issue, and does require you to update your Windows 10 PC<\/a>.<\/p>\n But even here, it\u2019s not currently smooth sailing for Microsoft. With so much attention focused on the hardware hurdles to be eligible for an upgrade to Windows 11, which have included Microsoft clamping down on various workarounds, Neowin<\/a> reports that Microsoft has now admitted that Windows 11 \u201cis offered to ineligible devices\u201d<\/p>\n It turns out that \u201cif your Windows 10 PC was offered to upgrade to Windows 11 even though it shouldn\u2019t have, blame Microsoft. The company admitted that its systems ignore Intune update policies and offer Windows 11 to ineligible systems (PCs where IT admins block the updates), causing confusion among users and administrators.\u201d<\/p>\n Bleeping Computer<\/a> explains that \u201cMicrosoft is working to fix an ongoing issue causing some users\u2019 Windows devices to be offered Windows 11 upgrades despite Intune policies preventing them. This known issue has impacted Windows desktop devices since Saturday, April 12, and is caused by what the company describes as a \u2018latent code issue\u2019. Redmond added earlier today in an update to the Microsoft 365 admin center (IT10561350) that a targeted code fix is now being deployed to prevent additional impact on other systems.\u201d<\/p>\n