Microsoft has acknowledged that they won’t be able to address the KB5034441 0x80070643 error on Windows 10. The issue was first encountered in January during the release of the initial security updates for Windows 10 and Windows 11.
The problem occurred with the Patch Tuesday release, resulting in the KB5034441 0x80070643 error. Users received an “Error Install Failure” message while trying to install the update, and reinstalling it didn’t fix the issue. The affected systems included Windows 11 version 21H2, Windows 10 versions 22H2 and 21H2, and Windows Server 2022.
Microsoft identified this as a known problem and revealed that the update aimed to address a security vulnerability related to the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE). Exploiting this vulnerability could bypass BitLocker encryption. The main challenge stemmed from insufficient disk space, as the update needed at least 250 megabytes of free space in the WinRE partition for installation. Ironically, some users without a recovery partition also encountered this error because the update couldn’t detect its presence.
Due to the significant security risk posed by the update, Microsoft couldn’t retract it. As a result, users continued to face the error when checking for updates or trying to download the package.
Microsoft Acknowledges Difficulty in Resolving KB5034441 0x80070643 Error through Windows Update
After a four-month wait, Microsoft stated that the KB5034441 0x80070643 error won’t be automatically fixed in a future Windows update. However, this doesn’t mean the problem is unsolvable; users will need to take manual steps to address it.
Microsoft provided instructions on how to enlarge the WinRE partition to resolve the issue, which might seem daunting but can be done gradually. To simplify the process of extending the Windows RE Partition, Microsoft offers a PowerShell script code. It’s recommended to create a backup of your PC before running the script for safety.
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