Microsoft Releases Emergency Update to Resolve Recovery Problems

Microsoft has taken an unusual step in releasing emergency updates for certain versions of Windows, following reports of some attempts to reset or recover Windows devices failing after installing the August 2025 Windows security updates.

The problem, which affects Windows 10 and early versions of Windows 11, was first identified by Microsoft last week, when they warned that updates released on May 28 may fail with error "ERROR_BAD_PATHNAME" when installed using Windows Update Standalone Installer (WUSA).

The emergency updates, published by Microsoft on August 13, are intended to correct issues with the August 2025 Windows security updates that could lead to failures in device reset or recovery processes. Specifically, the updates address a problem with System > Recovery > Reset my PC, System > Recovery > Fix problems using Windows Update, and RemoteWipe CSP processes.

KB5063875, KB5063709, and KB5063877 are among the impacted updates. The new update is a cumulative update, meaning it supersedes all previous updates for the affected versions.

August's Patch Tuesday was one of the biggest of the year, fixing more than 100 CVEs including one publicly disclosed zero-day vulnerability. However, it seems that the large number of updates may have introduced this problem.

If a device is not affected by the issue, there is no need to install this out-of-band update. The emergency updates were issued to resolve problems with the August 2025 Windows security updates that could cause device reset or recovery attempts to fail.

Microsoft has encouraged users who have not installed this month's security updates to install the emergency updates as soon as possible to ensure their devices can be successfully reset or recovered if needed. The emergency updates were released by Microsoft due to problems observed with the August 2025 Windows security updates.

In conclusion, Microsoft has taken swift action to address issues with the August 2025 Windows security updates that could lead to failures in device reset or recovery processes. Users are advised to install the emergency updates if they have not already done so to ensure their devices can be successfully reset or recovered.