Windows 10 update disaster: Uninstalling may be only remedy

Windows 10 update
(Image credit: yougoigo/Shutterstock)

Windows 10 has had a bad few months. After Microsoft released an update for its PC operating system that caused many users to experience data loss and blue screens of death, it looks as though the only way to avoid problems for sure is to just not download the update.

The KB4535996 update, which had previously been reported to cause slow boot-ups, had made computers in sleep mode wake up unexpectedly, had broken dev tools, had caused audio and performance problems, and even caused instances of the dreaded BSOD.

This seems to mostly affect those running the 1909 and 1903 Windows 10 updates from November and May 2019 respectively.

As WccfTech reports, Windows Support has recommended in at least one case that users should uninstall the update. It hasn’t acknowledged that all the problems listed by users are caused by the new cumulative update, but if you’re experiencing one of these problems, it may be worth trying to uninstall the KB4535996 update to see if it helps.

As reported by TechRadar, one user at  the Microsoft Answers website said that more than 200 PCs in their organization are now crashing and displaying the blue screen of death. And "uninstalling the update doesn't off cleanly and still gets lockups on initial boot."

If you haven’t installed this update yet, it’s a good idea to avoid doing so in case you also suffer the same problems.

These aren’t the only troublesome Windows 10 updates recently. In January, a security update failed to install on certain machines. Then in February, one update caused WiFi and sound issues, and another Windows 10 update hid files and deleted user preferences.

Let’s hope that once this issue’s settled, Microsoft can deliver more stable Windows 10 updates.

Richard Priday
Assistant Phones Editor

Richard is based in London, covering news, reviews and how-tos for phones, tablets, gaming, and whatever else people need advice on. Following on from his MA in Magazine Journalism at the University of Sheffield, he's also written for WIRED U.K., The Register and Creative Bloq. When not at work, he's likely thinking about how to brew the perfect cup of specialty coffee.