Microsoft Says Fix Rolling Out for Failed KB5132061 Windows Update Installs
Microsoft confirmed on November 12 that some Windows users could not install the KB5132061 security patch, which fixes 726 Windows vulnerabilities. A fix is rolling out and needs no action, but printing and activation problems have also surfaced. Microsoft 365 and Outlook suffered a separate outage the same day.
Microsoft confirmed on November 12 that some Windows users could not install KB5132061, the security update released on this month's Patch Tuesday, and said a fix is rolling out. Customers connected to the internet and using Windows Update need to take no action.
The update matters because it addresses 726 vulnerabilities in Windows alone. Failed installs leave those machines exposed.
What users reported
Within hours of release, complaints appeared that the download and installation were failing. Some users reported error code 0x800F0993. Others got 0x800F0989.
Microsoft initially listed no known issues and made no statement. One user, posting as Forceflow on the ElevenForum site, suggested the fault might involve Windows Sandbox. After disabling that feature and rebooting, the patch installed for them.
Others had the same errors with Sandbox off. Alternative workarounds users tried included checking the package with DISM, Microsoft's Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool, or downloading the update manually.
New problems with printing and activation
The fix comes with a catch. According to an update to the original report, the patch appears to cause separate issues around printing and activation.
Besides the security fixes, KB5132061 resolves a problem where USB Audio 1.0 devices might fail to start and show an error code 10 in Device Manager.
A rough run of patches
Microsoft's updates have recently caused more trouble than usual. A September emergency release followed a Windows security update that disrupted Remote Desktop Services.
The October Patch Tuesday update for Windows Server knocked Exchange Servers over. Microsoft suggested a registry edit as a workaround and said the November update resolved the problem.
Separate Microsoft 365 outage
On Thursday, November 12, Microsoft Outlook suffered a major outage unrelated to the patch. Downdetector logged more than 130,000 reports as of 1:15 p.m. ET. Microsoft 365 drew nearly 50,000 reports, and the Copilot assistant was also down.
Microsoft said it was testing a configuration change for a problem "causing servers to fail automated health checks and become unavailable." It restarted affected servers and paused all deployments and configuration changes while it reviews recent changes for any link to the event.
Its status page named Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint Online, Copilot 365 and Microsoft Defender XDR as affected. Anthropic said its Microsoft 365 connector was failing: "Mail, calendar and search tools are failing for most requests." OpenAI also reported connector problems.
