March 2021 Microsoft Cumulative Update may cause Infamous “Blue Screen of Death”

by Mike Miller, CompuType IT Solutions

This week, Microsoft published a pair of security updates for all current versions of Windows 10 that has the potential to bring many users to a grinding halt.  If your system is running Windows 10 Build 19041 or 19042, it possible that it already installed KB5000802.  For older versions of Windows 10, build 18363 and below, the offending update is KB5000808.  You can learn more about either update from Microsoft at the links below.

KB5000802

KB5000808

Reports vary, but it seems that most issues center around printing, which could cause that BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) to occur.  Microsoft has this to say about the issues:

“After installing this update, you might receive an APC_INDEX_MISMATCH error with a blue screen when attempting to print to certain printers in some apps.  We are presently investigating and will provide an update when more information is available.”

You can tell if your system has the update by searching within Windows for ‘Check for Updates’ then clicking on ‘View update history’.  Note that Microsoft lists this as a Quality Update.

If your system has either update installed, but you have not experienced any issues, you may be able to take your chances.  In full disclosure, while preparing this article, a quick test print to my own home printer confirmed that the threat is real.

 I have the update, now what do I do?

Thankfully, it’s not terribly difficult to remove the update.  A restart is required, so it is best to save all your work and close all other programs before continuing.  If you still have the ‘View Update History’ window open, you are already in the home stretch.

Note: If you don’t wish to, or do not have the appropriate permissions to complete all the steps, CompuType IT Solutions has a team of Support Engineers available to assist.  Contact us if you need assistance.

Still with us?  Let’s roll up our sleeves and continue.

Click on Uninstall updates to continue.

On the next screen that appears, locate the update under ‘Microsoft Windows’.  It may help to sort by “Installed On” date, as it should be the most recently installed update.  Once you identify the update (don’t forget, older versions of Windows 10 you are looking for KB5000808) right-click on the update, then click “Uninstall.” 

Your system will ask you to confirm that you wish to continue.  In a few minutes, depending on the speed of your system, you will be asked to reboot windows to complete the process. 

After 5-7 minutes on this computer, the next message displayed was this. 

I think everyone know what the last step is.  Once you initiate the restart, plan for several more minutes before your system comes back up.  When complete, you should be able to login and use your computer normally.  That test print that generated the BSOD earlier in the process came out without error after removal of the update.

And you can rest easy, because Microsoft has pulled these updates from its installation catalog.  If you did not find it on your system, it is very unlikely to install on its own, and will not reinstall if you have removed it.