The critical Windows 11 security update KB5034765, released in February, caused serious inconvenience to many users who tried to install it. Microsoft offered a workaround to the problem and said it was working on a full fix.

Many users who tried to install the KB5034765 update on Windows 11 22H2 and 23H2 computers found that the process stopped at 96%. The installation then aborts with error code “0x800F0922”. The failed installation is just one link in an already long chain of problems caused by update KB5034765 since its release on February 13: After a successful installation, some machines have experienced taskbar disappearance, Explorer crashing, and performance issues in some cases.

Microsoft acknowledged the existence of a new bug and promised to fix it, but did not specify specific conditions. The developer stated that the system automatically rolls back the update if the update attempt fails. As a workaround, Microsoft suggested manually deleting the hidden C:\$WinREAgent folder and possibly restarting the computer afterwards. After this the update installation should complete successfully.