Microsoft has released a patch to fix an earlier mandatory Windows 10 patch that has been sending computer systems in circles.
Last week, Microsoft issued a cumulative update, patch KB 3081424, which many users found impossible to properly install. The update would force a system reboot in the middle of the installation process and launch into an endless cycle of failed installs and forced reboots.
Some users found a troublesome registry entry and either disabled it or deleted it — and it worked. However, now, Microsoft, on a Patch Tuesday, has released an official answer to the reboot loop.
Microsoft's security patch, released on Aug. 11, addresses the following issues:
- Vulnerabilities in the .NET Framework could allow elevation of privilege (3086251 MS15-092)
- Cumulative security update for Microsoft Edge (3084525 MS15-091)
- Unsafe command-line parameter passing could allow information disclosure (3082458 MS15-088)
- Vulnerability in Mount Manager could allow elevation of privilege (3082487 MS15-085)
- Vulnerabilities in Microsoft graphics component could allow remote code execution (3078662 MS15-080)
- Cumulative security update for Internet Explorer (3082442 MS15-079)
Like the last cumulative update and every critical update for Windows 10, this latest patch, KB 3081436, is being issued automatically through Windows Update.
To install the update, either set Windows Update to automatic or, to install the patch manually, go here.
While Windows 10 launched on July 29, not every eligible party has moved on just yet. Still, the masses are moving, and the count of upgrades to Windows 10 passed the 27 million mark this week. It hit 14 million devices inside of its first 24 hours of availability.
The mass of devices downloading Windows 10 all at once sparked fears among some people, who thought there was a chance the sheer volume of downloads could cripple the Internet. Moor Insights and Strategy's Patrick Moorhead, president and principal analyst, indicated in a Benzinga interview that the worst is already over.
"If everyone upgraded at once, this could be a possibility, but this isn't the case," said Moorhead. "Only the five million Insiders got the immediate upgrade."
