Microsoft released Windows KB5050411 update to fix KB5048239 that won't stop installing

Microsoft released January 2025 Patch Tuesday updates on Windows 10 under KB5049981 / KB5050008 / KB5049993 / KB5050013, and Windows 11 under KB5050009, KB5050021 this past week. Alongside them, the company also released new Recovery updates for Windows 11 as well as for Windows 10 (find details about the Windows 11 updates in this article).

As it often does, aside from Patch Tuesday, Microsoft has also released new dynamic updates for WinRE (Windows Recovery Environment), also called Safe OS updates. There are a bunch of them as there are updates for all supported Windows 10 versions, namely, 22H1, 21H2,1809, 1607, and 1507.

This time, Microsoft has not released any update for Setup binaries which it typically also does simultaneously alongside the recovery updates.

About the WinRE updates, Microsoft writes:

KB5050199: Safe OS Dynamic Update for Windows 10, version 21H2 and 22H2: January 14, 2025

 

Summary

 

This update makes improvements to the Windows recovery environment in Windows 10, version 21H2 and Windows 10, version 22H2.

 

..

 

KB5050198: Safe OS Dynamic Update for Windows 10, version 1809 and Windows Server 2019: January 14, 2025

 

Summary

 

This update makes improvements to the Windows recovery environment in Windows 10, version 1809 and Windows Server 2019.

 

..

 

KB5050120: Safe OS Dynamic Update for Windows 10, version 1607 and Windows Server 2016: January 14, 2025

 

Summary

 

This update makes improvements to the Windows recovery environment in Windows 10, version 1607 and Windows Server 2016.

 

..

 

KB5050121: Safe OS Dynamic Update for Windows 10: January 14, 2025

 

Summary

 

This update makes improvements to the Windows recovery environment in Windows 10, version 1507.

Microsoft is also replacing the KB5048239 WinRE update that kept installing over and over basically leading to an installation-loop with no actual progress. The update has been replaced by the new KB5050411 which applies the KB5050199 WinRE update listed above.

The problem was occurring even when users had more than the necessary 250 MB allocated space for a recovery partition as highlighted by Neowin reader snowy owl.

Microsoft writes:

KB5050411: Windows Recovery Environment update for Windows 10, version 21H2 and 22H2: January 14, 2025

 

Summary

 

This update automatically applies Safe OS Dynamic Update (KB5050199) to the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) on a running PC. The update installs improvements to Windows recovery features.

WinRE updates seem to be causing installation problems for users at fairly regular intervals. One thing to avoid the headache is to delete the recovery partition entirely although that may not be the best option for everyone considering the Microsoft recently highlighted how WinRE is just as essential a system requirement as TPM and Secure Boot at least for features like encryption.

For those who may not be aware, these Dynamic Update packages are meant to be applied to existing Windows images prior to their deployment. In a Techcommunity blog post about Windows 10 Dynamic Updates, Microsoft explained Dynamic Updates in more detail regarding its various components and uses. These packages include fixes to Setup.exe binaries, SafeOS updates for Windows Recovery Environment, and more:

As soon as a Windows 10 feature update initiates, whether from media or a Windows Update service-connected environment, Dynamic Update is one of the first steps invoked. Windows 10 Setup reaches out to an Internet-facing URL hosted by Microsoft to fetch Dynamic Update content, then applies those updates to your OS installation media.

 

Content acquired includes:

 

• Setup Updates: Fixes to Setup binaries or any files that Setup uses for feature updates.
• Safe OS Updates: Fixes for the "safe OS" that are used to update Windows recovery environment (WinRE).

 

In addition to these updates, Dynamic Update will preserve Language Pack (LP) and Features on Demand (FODs) content during the upgrade process. These are not updates to LPs and FODs, but reacquisition to ensure the user has these elements present with the update completes.

These WinRE dynamic updates are not pushed through Windows Update and are also available for manual downloading from the Windows Update Catalog website. You can find them here: KB5050199, KB5050198, KB5050120, and KB5050121.

Source

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