Microsoft update causes restart fails in Windows 10

Previously, information security service specialists reported that the update package for Windows 10 generated some bugs in the updated machines. Now, reports of errors emerge again in the restart process of Windows 10 machines that installed the updates.

Although the latest update package does not contain critical bug fixes, there are multiple improvements that need to be implemented on Windows 10 systems, so users need to install the update, despite the several drawbacks that the Microsoft patch installation process represents.

Recently reported fails potentially affect all Windows 10 users, unlike the previous incident, which only impacted users of specific antivirus software. In more detail, the main affected users are those interested in restoring their operating system to the version prior to the latest Microsoft update.

On its official platform, the company issued a security alert mentioning that users who have created a system restore point prior to the last update may experience a system error (identified as ‘0xc000021a’) that it will cause a system restart failure, reported information security service specialists.

In the post, Microsoft mentions that the problem exists because the System Restore process also focuses on the files in use. These data are stored in the system registry and, when rebooted, the operation is completed at different stages. When the user restores the system to the previous version, Windows restores the driver’s .sys files, but then loads the existing drivers to later load the later versions. In a nutshell, because driver versions do not match the restored versions, the system restart process stops.

According to the specialists in information security service from the International Institute of Cyber Security (IICS), to correct these fails is necessary to enter the Windows recovery environment (WinRE, the system must enter automatic after the second failed reboot attempt). The user must then select:

  • Troubleshooting
  • Advanced Options
  • More recovery options
  • Startup settings
    • Select Restart Now
    • Select Disable driver signature check

This means that the system should restart normally.