Over the past few months, Microsoft has managed to release a series of problematic updates for Windows 10 that have caused serious issues for some people, and while we’d have hoped the situation would have improved, it seems like the company has just released its most disastrous Windows 10 update yet.
While Windows 10 KB4556799 was supposed to be an important update for people running the two most recent versions of the operating system (May 2019 Update and November 2019 Update), it seems like it has in fact introduced a large number of problems instead.
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The list of reported problems reads a bit like a ‘greatest hits’ of previous Windows 10 update errors, with almost everything accounted for. So, some users on the Microsoft forum are reporting the dreaded Blue Screen of Death, which appears when your PC encounters a severe problem and has to restart.
There have also been reports of a flickering white screen appearing after installing the update, system fonts being replaced and Windows 10 reverting back to the more limited S-Mode.
As if they weren’t annoying enough, one user found that Outlook searches are now broken, while Windows Latest is reporting that Windows 10 KB4556799 is causing audio issues for some people, where the default audio output is changed, as well as the re-emergence of the Temporary user profile bug.
This bug has affected previous Windows 10 updates, and it’s pretty nasty, as it creates and loads a default user profile when Windows 10 loads up, apparently deleting user files and changing any settings (such as desktop wallpaper and themes) back to the default settings.
This makes Windows 10 KB4556799 one of the worst Windows 10 updates we’ve seen so far.
How to fix it
We don’t know how many people are affected by the update issues, and we’ve contacted Microsoft for comment.
If you’ve downloaded the Windows 10 KB4556799 update and are encountering any issues, the best way to fix the problem is to uninstall the update.
Open up the Settings app (the cog icon in the Start menu, or by pressing Windows + I on the keyboard), then click 'Update & Security'.
From the window that appears, click 'Windows Update' on the left-hand menu, then 'View update history'.
Click 'Uninstall updates' then select KB4556799 to uninstall it. The problems should now be fixed.
You could also use the System Restore feature in Windows 10 to roll back your PC to a time when it was working correctly.
Microsoft has yet to comment on these new problems, and as we stated so far it seems like the issues aren’t too widespread. If you installed the update and you’ve not experienced any problems, then you’ll be fine to continue with it installed.
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