‘Security Update Fails’—Microsoft Says Restart Windows

InnovationCybersecurity‘Security Update Fails’—Microsoft Says Restart WindowsByZak Doffman,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Zak Doffman writes about cybersecurity, surveillance and privacy.Follow AuthorMay 16, 2026, 04:03am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Windows update fail.NurPhoto via Getty ImagesMicrosoft has finally fixed the issue “where some devices might enter BitLocker Recovery after updating boot files.” That left frustrated PC owners hunting for recovery keys after installing the April security update. The bad news is that Microsoft warns the fix itself might now fail.The Windows maker released KB5089549 on May 12, but just 72 hours later it warned of a known issue where the new “security update fails to install with error 0x800f0922." This is likely down to memory availability. There are workarounds — but the best advice is to restart Windows.Windows update fail.NurPhoto via Getty Images“This issue occurs on devices that have limited free space,” Microsoft says. The security update likely fails “during the restart phase at approximately 35–36% completion,” and users may then see the message: “Something didn’t go as planned. Undoing changes.” The error code is 0x800f0922.You can “allow the update to install by modifying an ESP registry setting,” but you’re warned that “editing the registry incorrectly can cause serious system problems.” That means backing up the registry first. Unless you’re very confident in doing this, do not attempt this workaround. if (!window.cnxel) { window.cnxel = {}; window.cnxel.cmd = []; var iframe = document.createElement('iframe'); iframe.style.display = 'none'; iframe.onload = function() { var iframeDoc = iframe.contentWindow.document; var script = iframeDoc.createElement('script'); script.src = '//cd.elements.video/player.js?cid=62cec241-7d09-4462-afc2-f72f8d8ef40a'; script.setAttrib...