Microsoft pulls Windows update after installation failures

No timeline for a fix

Microsoft has temporarily withdrawn a Windows 11 update after users reported installation errors.

The optional preview update, known as KB5079391, was released on Thursday for devices running Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2.

It introduced 29 changes, including improvements to Smart App Control, display performance and Windows Hello fingerprint recognition.

It also included stability improvements for the Windows Recovery Environment when running x64 applications on ARM64 devices, as well as reliability enhancements for biometric sign-ins.

However, shortly after Microsoft rolled the patch some users reported that the update failed to install, displaying an error message with the code 0x80073712.

The message indicated that certain update files were either missing or corrupted.

"Some update files are missing or have problems. We'll try to download the update again later. Error code: (0x80073712)," the message said.

Microsoft halted the rollout on Friday night in response.

In an update to its support documentation, the company said it had "temporarily limited the availability" of the update to prevent further disruption while it investigates the issue.

"Rollout of this update is temporarily paused due to installation error 0x80073712.

"To prevent additional impact while the issue is investigated, Microsoft has temporarily limited the availability of this update. As a result, the update temporarily might not be offered through Windows Update."

The company has not disclosed the exact cause of the error, nor has it provided a timeline for when a fixed version will be made available; though one is expected before the next scheduled Patch Tuesday on 14^th April, when cumulative updates are typically released.

Microsoft has faced a recent string of update-related issues.

Just last week, the company issued an emergency fix for a bug that disrupted sign-ins across several services, including Teams, Edge and Microsoft 365 applications.

That issue stemmed from the March Patch Tuesday update and caused affected systems to incorrectly report that they were offline.

Microsoft has also released additional emergency updates this month to address Bluetooth connectivity problems and security vulnerabilities in enterprise systems.

In January, Microsoft was forced to release several out-of-band updates after its Patch Tuesday rollout caused widespread disruption across Windows systems, including failures in remote desktop access, reboot loops and Outlook crashes.

One issue prevented users from establishing stable remote desktop connections, leaving them unable to consistently access Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365 cloud services.

Another affected devices using Secure Launch, a virtualisation-based security feature designed to guard against firmware-level threats.

Microsoft acknowledged the problems and issued six separate out-of-band updates covering supported versions of Windows 11 (23H2 to 25H2), Windows 10 (22H2) and Windows Server releases spanning 2019 through 2025.

Microsoft has recently pledged to improve the quality and reliability of Windows updates.

Writing to users, Windows chief Pavan Davuluri said, "Thank you for holding us to a high standard.

"Windows is as much yours as it is ours. We're committed to strengthening its foundation and delivering innovation where it matters, for you."