How to Fix BSODs Caused by Windows 10 Cumulative Update KB4490481

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How to Fix BSODs Caused by Windows 10 Cumulative Update KB4490481

 

The most recent cumulative update for Windows 10 version 1809, also referred to as October 2018 Update, was published on April 2 as KB4490481.

This particular release comes with a long list of improvements, but just like every other cumulative update, it also includes several issues that Windows 10 users should check out before the installation.

But as it turns out, the known issues list does not include a bug that seems to cause Blue Screen of Death errors on certain Windows 10 devices.

Until now, Microsoft has acknowledged just a single issue that could lead to a BSOD, but it’s related to fonts. The company explains the following:

“If you enable per font end-user-defined characters (EUDC), the system will stop working and a blue screen will appear at startup. This is not a common setting in non-Asian regions. To avoid this issue, don’t enable per font EUDC. As an alternative, you can edit the registry to mitigate this issue.”

But according to a report from GHacks, Windows 10 cumulative update KB4490481 could also cause a System Service Exception on Windows 10 devices on the first boot after installation. In other words, your system is offered the KB4490481 update, you install it from Windows Update, reboot the device and boom, here’s a BSOD that no longer lets you boot to the desktop.
 

 

 

At this point, it looks like the easiest solution for devices hit by this issue is to just use System Restore and then hide the update to prevent it from being reinstalled.

However, according to the cited source, there’s also a second workaround which appears to let you install the cumulative update without risking a BSOD. And it all comes down to a series of registry edits.

Before anything, you should really create a restore point because this tutorial involves deleting several registry keys. This means that should something go wrong, the system reliability can be significantly impacted, so you may end up having other issues than just the BSOD.

Begin by launching the Registry Editor on your Windows 10 device. To do this, type regedit.exe and hit yes when getting an UAC prompt. Navigate to the following location in the Registry Editor:

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\FontLink\SystemLink

There are several entries that you need to delete, as it follows:

MS PGothic MC
Segoe Media Center
Segoe Media Center Light
Segoe Media Center Semibold

Make sure you check their names twice, as removing a different entry might not help fix the BSOD on the device. Also, the backup that you created earlier should help deal with any potential issues should something go wrong after deleting these four entries.
 

 

 

After removing the registry keys, you can proceed to installing cumulative update KB4490481. No reboot is required, albeit keep in mind that after downloading the update, you’ll be prompted to restart the device to complete the process.

Previously, this is where the BSOD occurred, as the system hit a fatal crash when completing the install and trying to boot back to the desktop. But after deleting the aforementioned registry keys, everything should now work correctly, letting you use your computer normally and with the latest cumulative update installed correctly.

A new patch of cumulative updates is scheduled to go live tomorrow as part of the April 2019 Patch Tuesday, and there’s a chance that Microsoft would resolve this issue too. At this point, however, it’s not known how widespread the bug is given that the company hasn’t even acknowledged it, but it remains to be seen if the April 9 cumulative update addresses it or not.

 

 

 

Source