Update KB5074109 installed successfully 26/1/26 But Update Still shows it as Failed?

Question

Update KB5074109 install failed 2/3 times error 0x800f0991. I downloaded the update from Updater catalogue and when I tried to install it, it reported "This update is already installed". I checked the update history again and sure enough it said the update was successfully installed 26/1/2026. Since then it keeps reporting that the update has failed again and retries to install it every couple of days.

Other updates since the 26th January have installed successfully - 1st time. But it still keeps reporting that KB5074109 has failed. Probably for ever more? The annoying thing is It was a brand new custom PC delivered 13/1/2026 with a clean install of Win 11 Pro. Any suggestions anyone? Thanks

Answer 1

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, I have joined our Successful Team, Johan, Kevin, several more - we did fix this error 0x800f0991, albeit with a different patch (the regular Win11 February 2026 monthly patch). Clearly the error corresponds to an inconsistency between some database of patches and files, and their actual state on the disk, so it doesn't want to install everything properly although the PC needs that. We did Settings, System (in the left sidebar), Recovery (in the right column), Fix Problems Using Windows Update (2nd in the right column). I did not check Automatic Restart. It switched to Windows Update except that the new patch was called a "Win 11 25H2 (repair edition)" (in Czech, whatever it is in your language).

The Windows Update screen spent 10 minutes downloading (my home Internet is very fast), 55 minutes installing while I could work (I expected that period faster because my ASUS Vivobook OLED laptop is also powerful), the percentages were much more regular than I saw in a month, and then I got the restart request which Windows Update failed to give me 20 times in the recent week. ;-) The restart only took 5 minutes in the "installation on black screen", plus the subsequent first login was about 2 minutes slower than I expected. Several restarts occurred on the black screens, counting up to 100% maybe twice, slightly smaller fonts than the usual installation of the patches. The new tool seems to be working, I am on 7840 now, too.

Answer 2

Te January update (KB5074109) is a very troublesome update, it contained many bugs, and Microsoft released 3 out-of-band updates to resolve the bugs in that update, if that update is indicated as correctly installed and still tries to install again, the best option is to pause your updates until Tuesday when the February update will be released, then that update will supersede the January update and stop it trying to repeatedly install.

Answer 3

It sounds like you're experiencing a common issue where Windows Update incorrectly reports that an update has failed even after it has been successfully installed. Here are a few steps you can take to resolve this issue:

1. Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter: This built-in tool can help identify and fix problems with Windows Update. You can find it in Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot > Additional troubleshooters > Windows Update.
2. Check for Additional Updates: Sometimes, subsequent updates can resolve issues with previous ones. Ensure that your system is fully updated by checking for any pending updates.
3. Reset Windows Update Components: You can manually reset the Windows Update components. This involves stopping the Windows Update service, renaming the SoftwareDistribution and Catroot2 folders, and then restarting the service. Instructions for this can be found in Microsoft's support documentation.
4. Use the DISM Tool: The Deployment Imaging Service and Management Tool (DISM) can help repair the Windows image. You can run the command DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth in an elevated Command Prompt.
5. Contact Microsoft Support: If the issue persists after trying the above steps, it may be beneficial to reach out to Microsoft Customer Service and Support for further assistance.

These steps should help you address the issue with the KB5074109 update being incorrectly reported as failed.

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References:

• Resolved issues in Windows 11, version 25H2