- Windows 10 has released an emergency patch to fix a bug with extended support
- The issue caused the wizard to register for extended updates to fail.
- Once this issue is fixed, if you get the out-of-band update, you should be able to sign up for extended support.
Microsoft has released a patch to fix an issue where some Windows 10 PCs were unable to register for extended security updates (the ESU scheme) due to a bug.
As we reported earlier this week, there was an issue with the ESU registry that meant it simply didn’t work for some Windows 10 users, resulting in an unhelpful error message that simply said: “Something went wrong.”
Fortunately, Windows Latest discovered that Microsoft released an emergency update to fix this problem.
This is patch KB5071959, which was deployed out of band, that is, outside the normal release rhythm of Windows patches.
Microsoft says of the update: “This update addresses an issue in the Windows 10 consumer Extended Security Update (ESU) enrollment process, where the enrollment wizard may fail during enrollment. After applying this update, consumer devices should be able to successfully enroll in ESU using the ESU wizard.”
Please note that no one at ESU will receive this patch; It is only for those who have not been able to register for extended updates due to the aforementioned error and error message.
Analysis: Protracted problems have come to an end
It’s good to see that Microsoft is on the case here, and just in time, as yesterday (November 11) the first security update appeared for Windows 10 PCs signed up for extended support. In fact, I just received this patch, which is KB5068781, on my Windows 10 PC, which is on the ESU scheme, this morning (installation took a surprisingly long time, considering it’s just a basic set of security fixes, or maybe there’s a little more in this first installment).
Windows Latest indicates that “all ESU-related issues” are fixed with this emergency update, but as we saw earlier this week, in addition to the bug, there are also regional barriers preventing registration for extended updates in some cases. I’m not sure if all of that has been resolved, but sure, it makes sense that it will be, given that the first update for the ESU is now available as stated.
Whether everyone has access to ESU or not (which should be the case), you should not see the unhelpful “Something went wrong” error message after applying this emergency patch.
That will certainly save you a lot of frustration, and if you’ve been one of those bothered by these ESU registry errors, head over to Windows Update now. Run an update check and you should see KB5071959, and once you’ve installed it, you should be ready to successfully register for ESU, and then you can get the November security update for Windows 10.
Extended support means you’ll be covered for security updates until October 2026, but after that you’ll face the same dilemma you’ve put off for a year: upgrade to Windows 11 (if possible) or look for an alternative operating system, such as a Windows-like version of Linux.
The best mini PCs for all budgets
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to receive news, reviews and opinions from our experts in your feeds. Be sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form and receive regular updates from us on WhatsApp also.
