Microsoft Admits Major Issues With Windows 10 KB4535996 Update, Users With Bugs Should Uninstall

Microsoft has admitted that there was a problem with the KB4535996 update that it released in late February. Microsoft admitted the issue in the update only a couple of days ago, several days after users first began complaining about problems after installing the update. Microsoft said that it is "aware of issues" with signtool.exe after installing the KB4535996 optional update for Windows 10, version 1903, or Windows 10, version 1909.

The workaround Microsoft offers for the flawed update is to uninstall KB4535996. Microsoft has also promised that it is working on a solution to the problem with the update and expects a new update to be available in mid-March. Windows users everywhere certainly hope that the new update doesn't introduce more flaws, which has been a common theme with Microsoft in recent months. While Microsoft offers no instructions for uninstalling the KB4535996 update, the process is straightforward and easy enough for anyone to do.

Those needing to uninstall KB4535996 can do so following the steps we outlined earlier this week when we first wrote about the update issue. Those steps can be seen below:

• Open the Settings app via Windows+I
• Choose the "Update & security" option
• Switch to the "Windows Update" tab
• Click "View update history"
• Click "Uninstall updates"
• Select the KB4535996 update and uninstall it

For those unfamiliar with the issues surrounding the KB4535996 update, many Windows 10 users reported that when trying to install the update, the installation would fail with generic error messages 0x800f0922 and 0x80070003. Users also reported that sometimes the update would download to 100 percent after taking considerable time to reach 100 percent and then fail when the machine rebooted, showing them a blue screen and a warning that the system was unable to complete the update.

Other users were able to install the update completely but were hit with random freeze issues, BSOD errors, and other performance-related issues. Some machines with sound cards inside, such as the SoundBlaster series, found that their sound cards were nonfunctional after the update was applied.

As annoying as the continued issues with Windows 10 updates have been, it is always nice when Microsoft at least owns up to the issue and quickly plans a fix.