Many Windows 10 users are having issues with the recently released January '24 security update not installing properly, even if they take the usual troubleshooting steps to reset the Windows Update component. I'll give you a brief description of the problem as I understand it & then explain a quick way to resolve the issue without having to input a long string of entries into command prompt, unlike many other tutorials which give a more complex set of instructions.
The update is trying to patch the recovery partition typically found at the end of a Windows OS drive. Typically this partition would be around 500mb, give or take. This new updated Recovery console is larger in size and will not fit within the allotted space and the patch does not account for this. We have seen the OS either try to move this partition to another drive that has space not currently allocated, or just fail entirely if it's unable to find the room. Having the recovery partition on a different drive than the main OS is not advisable, as if the user every swaps out that drive, the OS will be unable to do any troubleshooting / system restore / get to Safe Mode should it not be able to boot normally.
Many guides instruct you to delete the partition entirely and rebuild it using a complicated set of instructions to the Command Prompt. However, there is a much more direct way of dealing with this without risking the loss of that partition.
STEP 1: Open the Disk Management panel. This can be found via simple search in the start menu, or via Control Panel.
STEP 2: Take the primary OS partition, I.E. The C: partition that is the bulk of open space on the OS drive, and right click it. Select "Shrink Volume" and reduce it by 250mb exactly. This will create the space needed for the patch to install correctly.
STEP 3: Next we want to obtain & use a more advanced Partition tool like Acronis Disk Director, or AOMEI Partition Assistant, which has a freeware version capable of doing what we need to do. (https://www.diskpart.com/download.html)
STEP 4: In AOMEI, Right click the Recovery Partition and select "Resize/Move Partition"
STEP 5: Make sure the partition is moved all the way to the left so it will be touching the C: partition, then click & hold the tab on the right that looks like a " or pause symbol to drag it so that it fills up the entire remainder of the partition. This should make it a size about 750mb, and touching the C: partition so there is no wasted space or gaps. Click OK.
STEP 6: Make sure to click "Apply" in the top left corner of the program to confirm & begin the process, otherwise the changes will not be saved. This shouldn't take very long and the system should not have to reboot during this procedure.
STEP 7: Once you've confirmed the partition is resized and positioned properly, try going back to Windows Update & installing the update again. Usually at this point it should go through no problem, not even requiring a system restart.
Windows 11 users aren't reporting this problem that I've seen as of yet, so I'm pretty sure the issue exists only on Windows 10. However, the procedure to correct the problem should be the same on the off chance you find an install of 11 with this issue. Feel free to contact me if you need me to elaborate or clarify any part of this process! - Wolf.
2024-01 Security Update (KB5034441) error fix Print
Modified on: Sat, 27 Jan, 2024 at 2:54 PM
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