Microsoft removes faulty Windows 10 KB4524244 update after acknowledging issues with the patch

The company says it is working on an improved version of the update

Microsoft has pulled the standalone security update KB4524244 after acknowledging reports that it caused issues for several Windows 10 users.

KB4524244 was released on 11th February as part of the Patch Tuesday release cycle. The purpose behind its release was to address a vulnerability associated with the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) boot manager. However, many users reported that it caused issues during installation and also caused their computers to freeze.

This standalone security update has been removed due to an issue affecting a sub-set of devices

The update not only affected the two most recent versions of Windows 10 (v1909 and v1903) but also caused trouble for users of previous versions.

"This standalone security update has been removed due to an issue affecting a sub-set of devices," Microsoft admitted.

"It will not be re-offered from Windows Update, Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) or Microsoft Update Catalog. Note Removal of this standalone security update does not affect successful installation or any changes within any other February 11, 2020 security updates, including Latest Cumulative Update (LCU), Monthly Rollup or Security Only update."

The software giant said that the users who are experiencing issues with their system can reset their device by taking the following steps:

  1. Select the Start button or Windows Desktop Search and type update history and select View your Update history.
  2. On the Settings/View update history dialog window, Select Uninstall Updates.
  3. On the Installed Updates dialog window, find and select KB4524244 and select the Uninstall button.
  4. Restart your device.
  5. Upon restart use the "Reset this PC" feature and you should not encounter this issue.

The company also stated that it was working on an improved version of the update, which will be released in a future update.

Microsoft has also removed a related update, KB4502496, which was released to address the same issue for Windows 8.x and Windows 10 version 1507.

Last week, many users complained on Twitter and Microsoft forums that after installing the Patch Tuesday update (KB4532693), they were unable to access their profiles and desktop files. Users said that their custom wallpapers and icons were all reset to default state.

A user, named 'Katey-#1' posting to Microsoft Answers, revealed: "When I closed down my PC last night it started doing updates and was taking a long time so I left it and went to bed.

"This morning I logged on - no problems, but I then realised (I can't remember how) that my files had all moved to another folder in the c drive, ending in .000.

"After doing some searching for advise online, I restarted the PC several times but it hasn't changed. I have even closed it down completely to see if this made a difference - it didn't. I am now worried that I will close down again and from what I have read this may be a temporary file."

Another user going by the name 'Telattt' stated: "Every time my PC updates my desktop wallpaper goes back to default, and all saved icons, favorites, passwords, etc are gone. Every. Single. Time. This is getting tiring and I'm losing so much time at work saving my icons again, paswords, etc. What is going on? It's almost as if the computer is set back to default after every update. Please help. I've tried quite a few things to fix and no luck. "

BleepingComputer, which runs PC user forums, suggested that the update likely loaded up a temporary file for the purpose of updating the computer, but had failed to restore machines to their original profile when the update was completed.