Windows 10: Microsoft update breaks computers and forces them to keep rebooting

One of the first updates for the new operating system released last week traps computers into a loop that they can’t get out of

Joe Belfiore, Microsoft Corporate Vice President, at a launch event for Microsoft 10 (Ellen M. Banner/AP)

One of the first major updates to Windows 10 has completely broken the computers of those who have installed it.

The update, codenamed KB3081424, is referred to as a “cumulative update” — intended to collect up a range of bug and security fixes and push them out in one go.

But for many users it is freezing their computers, forcing them into a loop that sees them try to restart, give up and shut off, before trying to reboot all over again. When the update fails to install, it tries to start all over again.

Because Windows 10 has a system for pushing security updates out to users, the update can be downloaded automatically and loaded straight onto computers.

Some users on Microsoft’s forums report being able to fix the problem by removing a particularly file in the registry, the important part of the computer that stores its settings and programs. But this is hidden and most computer experts recommend not making edits to it, meaning that the fix should not be attempted by people who aren’t confident about what they’re doing.

For everyone else, the update is unlikely to be fixed until Microsoft changes the code. Discussions of the problem are proving popular on the company’s forums, and so it is likely that it will address the issues in another update.