Surface RT update coming in February to fix issues caused by the last update

Microsoft is hard at work on a fix for a nasty Windows RT bug preventing Surface tablets from completing app updates.

The issue first cropped up earlier this month after a Jan. 8 firmware update for Surface RT tablets.

Users began reporting difficulty or a complete inability to access the Windows Store and Windows Update. Some also mentioned being unable to update third-party apps.

In a statement today, Microsoft addressed the issue, saying that a fix is on the way for early Feb.

"Some Windows RT customers who attempted to apply January's bulletins had issues installing updates. Specifically, impacted Windows RT devices went into connected standby mode during the download of updates from Windows Update, causing the connection to be disrupted," a Microsoft spokesperson said in the statement.

"We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and are working to correct the issue; we expect to have a fix in place in the first week of February."

Too little too late?

In typical fashion, Microsoft did not elaborate on what the causing of the issue might be or how widespread it is among Surface RT users.

On the Windows help forums some users have said that they resolved the issue by rebooting their tablets. However, some of those same users later reported that the issue returned, so a reboot may only be a temporary fix.

Microsoft's more permanent fix is scheduled to arrive the first week of Feb. Assuming that Microsoft does not count Friday, Feb. 1 as a whole week, the update should be available between Feb. 3 and Feb. 9.

Feb. 9 also happens to be Microsoft's launch day for the Surface Pro, running full Windows 8 instead of Windows RT.

Windows RT hasn't exactly been lighting the tablet world on fire since the Surface launched last year, and problems like this update bug certainly don't help Microsoft's case for the mobile operating system. Here's hoping that the Surface Pro can avoid the same fate.

Via ZDNet