Microsoft finally fixes the mess with the KB5034440/KB5034441 patches

Microsoft has decided to pull the plug on the problematic KB5034440 and KB5034441 updates, which were notorious for their installation failures. These updates were infamous for causing a specific error code (“0x80070643 – ERROR_INSTALL_FAILURE”), especially on devices lacking sufficient space in their system’s recovery partition.

This issue had been a thorn in the side of Windows 10 and 11 users, leading to significant frustration and manual workarounds. But now, alongside the new Patch Tuesday updates for Windows 11 and 10, Microsoft has introduced KB5042321 and KB5042320 as replacements, effectively fixing the annoying issue.

The problem with the original updates was that they could not be installed due to insufficient space in the system’s recovery partition. This led users down the rabbit hole of manually resizing their recovery partition by following a detailed guide provided by Microsoft or using a PowerShell script. The updates were initially released to address a BitLocker Secure Boot bypass vulnerability.

After months of user complaints and manual fixes, Microsoft said there would be no solutions for these patches. However, the company released KB5042321 and KB5042320, moving the content from the retired updates to these new ones, hopefully offering a smoother installation process.

For those curious about the technical side, these updates aim to apply a Safe OS Dynamic Update to the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) on a running PC, improving Windows recovery features. Yet, there’s a catch – the update requires 250 MB of free space in the recovery partition to install successfully.

For those affected by the KB5034440 and KB5034441 rollout, it’s worth checking out the official support articles on Microsoft’s website for KB5042321 and KB5042320 for detailed information and guidance.