Microsoft fixes Windows 11 22H2 broken OOBE but app installs are now failing

Now that the holiday season has passed, Microsoft is finally fixing several longstanding bugs and issues. Yesterday, the company temporarily addressed a buggy SQL server driver issue from November, and earlier today, the Redmond giant also announced that had fixed an issue related to provisioning packages (.ppkg files) which led to buggy OOBE (out of box experience) on Windows 11 22H2. The fix was released with the KB5020044 update.

However, Microsoft has since discovered another issue associated with provisioning, which is leading to app install failures. As a result, the company says elevated privileges may be required. It notes:

Using provisioning packages on Windows 11, version 22H2 (also called Windows 11 2022 Update) might not install all expected apps. Affected apps require elevated privileges to install (must be installed as administrator) and might not have sufficient privileges during provisioning to install. Provisioning packages are .PPKG files which are used to help configure new devices for use on business or school networks. For more information on provisioning packages, please see Provisioning packages for Windows. Note: Provisioning Windows devices using Windows Autopilot is not affected by this issue.

Microsoft says it is working on a permanent fix and will release it in a future update. In the meantime, it has provided a workaround:

Workaround: Any required apps which did not install can be installed after provisioning is complete.

The company once again has reminded affected users about installing the KB5020044 update. The update also fixed gaming-related issues.

Microsoft fixes Windows 11 22H2 broken OOBE but app installs are now failing