Microsoft reaches for yet another out-of-band patch to deal with latest update issue
- Reference: 1774967346
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2026/03/31/microsoft_out_of_band/
- Source link:
The [1]update in question was a preview that failed to install on some devices. An error 0x80073712 was shown to affected users, along with the text: "Some update files are missing or have problems. We'll try to download the update again later."
Microsoft initially paused the update while it investigated the issue. [2]The company's solution is an out-of-band update "to resolve this issue in the coming days."
[3]
Time is running out. While the preview is optional, April's security update is not, and whatever has gone wrong in the installation process for this patch requires fixing. However, affected users are unlikely to welcome another out-of-band update and may wonder why Microsoft did not test the patch more thoroughly before release.
[4]Microsoft yanks Windows 11 preview update after install failures
[5]Windows boss promises to heal the operating system's self-inflicted wounds
[6]Microsoft fixes broken Windows update days after vowing fewer broken updates
[7]Microsoft breaks Microsoft account sign-ins in Windows 11 with latest update
It hasn't been a good year so far for Microsoft, with patches needed to fix other patches. It is less than two weeks since the last out-of-band patch for a Microsoft account sign-in problem [8]introduced in the March update . In Microsoft's [9]documentation , out-of-band releases are called "atypical," but right now they seem to be the new normal.
Microsoft fixes broken Windows update days after vowing fewer broken updates [10]READ MORE
Windows boss Pavan Davuluri has [11]pledged improvements to the reliability and stability of Microsoft's flagship operating system after first acknowledging problems in November 2025.
Turning the Windows ship is more akin to captaining a supertanker than a nimble yacht – the sheer scale of the Microsoft ecosystem means changes and updates take significant time to implement, requiring massive coordination across hardware, software, and enterprise users. However, almost half a year has now passed, and the company is still churning out updates containing errors that require fixes.
[12]
At some point, things have to improve. For users and admins dealing with the fallout, the question is when. ®
Get our [13]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2026/03/23/emergency_fix_windows_11/
[2] https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/topic/march-21-2026-kb5085516-os-builds-26200-8039-and-26100-8039-out-of-band-09e85404-1cb6-4ed4-9ca5-3e40d74307b9
[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=2acvvo22fSscCBIWkzex8iwAAAlM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2026/03/30/microsoft_faulty_windows_update/
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2026/03/24/windows_boss_promises/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2026/03/23/emergency_fix_windows_11/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2026/03/20/microsoft_account_not_working_have/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2026/03/23/emergency_fix_windows_11/
[9] https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/windows-itpro-blog/windows-monthly-updates-explained/3773544
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2026/03/23/emergency_fix_windows_11/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2026/03/24/windows_boss_promises/
[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=44acvvo22fSscCBIWkzex8iwAAAlM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[13] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Not just "vibe coding" but "vibe qa" as well by the look of it.
There's likely someone in a Redmond office now explaining to a confused middle manager "CoPilot tested the code it wrote and said it was fine"
They really need to stop referring to us Beta testers as customers and adopt their true name, "Beta."
Either that or replace all the coders with AI and re-hire the QA team to train it
affected users ... may wonder why Microsoft did not test the patch more thoroughly before release.
That seems more appropriate.
It doesn't take months or years to implement quality control - it's just a matter of actually giving a shit and doing testing. Clearly Microslop doesn't give a shit despite the words.
uality control ? That costs money.
Much better to cobble some slop together and have the users debug it.
Do things have to improve?
At some point, things have to improve.
Do they? Really??
Microsoft has been shitting on their customers for decades and they just keep putting up with it.
What motivation does Microsoft have to put any expense into improving things when Corporate IT departments have drunk so much cool-aid they'll put up with any amount of abuse from Microsoft and just smile and ask for more.
"affected users ... may wonder why Microsoft did not test the patch more thoroughly before release."
You're seeing the feedback from the alpha testers being acted upon and there's no reason why the beta testers won't get it on schedule in April in time for another routine out-of-band fix later in the month. What's that if not thorough testing MS style?