Yet again, Microsoft has been forced to release an out-of-band update for Windows 11 after a previously released update was found to cause problems.
Earlier this month, Microsoft released the KB5079391 update – an optional cumulative update. It was immediately found to be problematic, with users complaining of installation errors.
Microsoft initially responded by halting the rollout of the KB5079391 update after numerous reports from users who were seeing error messages reading: “Some update files are missing or have problems. We’ll try to download the update again later. Error code: (0x80073712)”.
Addressing matter, Microsoft updated the release notes for the update to say:
Rollout of this update is temporarily paused due to installation error 0x80073712.
To prevent additional impact while the issue is investigated, Microsoft has temporarily limited the availability of this update. As a result, the update temporarily might not be offered through Windows Update.
The next stage of sweeping up its own mess sees Microsoft releasing the unscheduled KB5086672 update. The company says of this this update:
This out-of-band update for Windows 11, version 25H2 and 24H2 (KB5086672) is cumulative and includes updates from previous security and non-security releases.
This update includes the improvements and features that were introduced in the March 26, 2026 non-security preview update (KB5079391), along with a fix for an installation issue that affected some devices attempting to install that update.
The brief release notes for the update read:
This out-of-band update contains quality improvements from KB5079473 (released March 10, 2026), KB5085516 (released March 21, 2026), and KB5079391 (released March 26, 2026 – no longer offered). The following summary outlines key issues addressed by this out-of-band update. The bold text within the brackets indicates the item or area of the change.
- [Setup] Fixed: While installing the March 2026 Windows preview update (KB5079391), some devices running Windows 11, version 25H2 or 24H2, might encounter the following error:
Some update files are missing or have problems. We’ll try to download the update again later. Error code: (0x80073712)
This out-of-band update is offered through Windows Update for devices running Windows 11 that have already installed KB5079473 or a later update. It is also available for manual download from the Microsoft Update Catalog.
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