Windows users left to fend for themselves after BitLocker patch bungle
- Reference: 1714746607
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2024/05/03/microsoft_windows_recovery_environment/
- Source link:
The issue [1]cropped up in January and was related to a [2]patch for a BitLocker bypass vulnerability and the Windows Recovery Environment.
Windows Update would throw up an unhelpful error if the user had insufficient disk space in their recovery partition. Microsoft acknowledged the problem and issued some frankly alarming instructions for manually resizing the partition to deal with the problem.
[3]
It wasn't for the faint of heart, and one user at the time noted: "This is an issue that Microsoft needs to correct themselves."
[4]
[5]
A few days later, a Microsoft spokesperson told The Register : "We are working on a resolution and will provide an update in an upcoming release."
Except it appears that the Windows giant [6]isn't . Hidden away in the Windows Release Health dashboard – and noted by [7]Windows Report – is news that Microsoft is not going to be sorting this out. You'll work through those manual steps and be grateful.
[8]Microsoft confirms spike in NTLM authentication traffic after Windows Server patch
[9]Microsoft confesses April Windows update breaks some VPN connections
[10]Now all Windows 11 users are getting adverts to 'make the Start menu great again'
[11]Microsoft really does not want Windows 11 running on ancient PCs
The issue has been closed with the note: "Automatic resolution of this issue won't be available in a future Windows update. Manual steps are necessary to complete the installation of this update on devices which are experiencing this error."
Users who do not have a recovery environment configured can ignore the error.
[12]
It's a surprising approach considering the large number of customers who ran into the problem at the start of the year.
Windows 10 will remain supported until October 2025, at which point users will need to decide if they are willing to pay to keep the security lights on a little longer. It is also more popular than its successor, Windows 11. We asked Microsoft for an explanation for its decision and will update this piece if the company responds.
According to the Windows Release Health dashboard, the issue also applies to Windows 11 21H2 and Windows Server 2022. However, [13]KB5034441 is a Windows 10 patch. ®
Get our [14]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2024/01/12/microsoft_update_for_bitlocker_vuln/
[2] https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/topic/kb5034441-windows-recovery-environment-update-for-windows-10-version-21h2-and-22h2-january-9-2024-62c04204-aaa5-4fee-a02a-2fdea17075a8
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZjUKGutn1MSZuumYkywyAAAAANA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZjUKGutn1MSZuumYkywyAAAAANA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZjUKGutn1MSZuumYkywyAAAAANA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://learn.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/release-health/status-windows-10-22H2#the-january-2024-windows-re-update-might-fail-to-install
[7] https://windowsreport.com/0x80070643-error_install_failure-error-isnt-fixable-in-windows-10-says-microsoft/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2024/05/02/microsoft_ntlm_windows_server/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2024/05/01/microsoft_windows_vpn_problems/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2024/04/24/adverts_windows_11/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2024/04/23/windows_11_cpu_requirements/
[12] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZjUKGutn1MSZuumYkywyAAAAANA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[13] https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/topic/kb5034441-windows-recovery-environment-update-for-windows-10-version-21h2-and-22h2-january-9-2024-62c04204-aaa5-4fee-a02a-2fdea17075a8
[14] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: This is where managed vendors come in ...
First rule of software vendors : it's not their problem.
Second rule of software vendors : if they do actually do something, you should be eternally grateful and kiss their feet whilst performing whatever acrobatics they deemed necessary to prevent them from too much work.
Third rule of software vendors : do as little as possible once everything is 80% working because, anything after that and they might be liable whereas, if you're happy with 80%, well everything's peachy, right ?
We have a recurring issue where Microsoft Office regularly pops up a warning that Macros are blocked (damn right they are!) which we can't suppress, and end users see the error regularly.
We contacted Microsoft Support, they replied and said Microsoft Office issues running on a Microsoft Operating System, connected to the Microsoft Azure, running Microsoft 365, utilising Microsoft SharePoint, controlled by Microsoft Intune is "out of band for Microsoft support".
What can you say to that?
How about Goodbye Microshaft and hello Unix. No, I know it won't be either easy nor cheap but neither is staying with the scammers. Sorry, Microsoft.
I'd be happy with that (my employer less so, unfortunately we're invested in MS).
"unfortunately we're invested in MS"
Try to find an explanation of the sunk cost fallacy in words simple enough for manglement to understand. I know that in this case "invested" will largely mean time and effort but after all, time is money.
@loops
Is [1]this any use?
[1] https://4sysops.com/archives/restricting-or-blocking-office-2016-2019-macros-with-group-policy/
Thanks. We've blocked it by policy already, with no notifications.
The recurring error we get is "The function you are attempting to run contains macros or content that requires macro language support."
It's a well documented error across Microsft sites going back 15 years (with a new post as recent as yesterday).
We worked our way through the first few pages of Google results (trying everything short of disabling the policy that blocks macros, including disabling all add ons, office repair, uninstall/reinstall, install 32 bit instead of 64 bit, deleting various files/folders, different versions, complete system reinstall, etc..). Nothing seems to solve it.
It's weird, because it only happens in certain scenarios. You can launch Word, and do file, new, and it opens a new document (this works fine, as expected). However, if you launch Word then open a file, then do file, new, it generates the above error. Another example; tying some equations seems to trigger it, but not others.
This happens on every single PC. The second it pulls down the Intune profile/security baselines/attack surface reduction rules, it starts with the above error.
We've all but given up on finding a solution. Microsoft are simply not interested in trying to help fix this issue, despite it apparently being incredibly widespread (I think they simply don't have a fix for it, so bat people off).
/shrug
We contacted Microsoft Support, they replied and said Microsoft Office issues running on a Microsoft Operating System, connected to the Microsoft Azure, running Microsoft 365, utilising Microsoft SharePoint, controlled by Microsoft Intune is "out of band for Microsoft support".
What can you say to that?
Well that's your problem, isn't it?
Indeed, that seems to be the way.
Inevitable.
The only way Microsoft can force people to upgrade to their even more dreadful new releases is to break the old ones. Expect more of this.
Get some retail RISC OS Pi systems out there asap.
Re: Inevitable.
I think that would really be a step too unfamiliar.
This is where managed vendors come in ...
When the MS printing patch borked everything (I know, which one ?) my company had a 3rds line support contract with an MS reseller.
When the fix was released and reseller called me up to tell me "what you need to do is ..." I reminded them that what *they* needed to do was ....
We had quite a ding dong. Apparently that's "not how it works". Which lead to a lively delve into what exactly we were getting for our x% ....