On January 9, 2024, Microsoft announced that a BitLocker Secure Boot bypass vulnerability identified as “CVE-2024-20666” could enable threat actors to circumvent BitLocker encryption and access encrypted data if they physically access an unpatched PC.
In response, the company proceeded to release cumulative updates, KB5034441 for Windows 10 and KB5034440 for Windows 11 , within the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE).
However, when installing the KB5034441 update, users encountered the error message “0x80070643 – ERROR_INSTALL_FAILURE,” indicating an insufficient WinRE partition size.
“Devices attempting to install the January 2024 Windows Recovery Environment update (KB5034441) might display an error related to the size of the Recovery Environment’s partition. We are working on a resolution and will provide an update in an upcoming release,” – Microsoft stated in a January 2024 update to the Windows release health dashboard.
The company also confirmed that Windows devices lacking a configured recovery environment do not require the installation of the KB5034441 update and can disregard the error message.
However, Microsoft has acknowledged that an automatic resolution for this issue, at least on Windows 10, will not be included in a future Windows update. The only solution to fix this is to manually complete the installation. Microsoft stated in an update to the Windows release health dashboard:
Resolution: Automatic resolution for this issue will not be included in a future Windows update. Manual steps are required to complete the installation of this update on devices experiencing this error.
Devices must have a minimum of 250 megabytes of free space on the WinRE partition. If there is insufficient free space, users will need to manually increase the partition size. For guidance on how to make this adjustment, please refer to the following resources:
- Documentation includes a sample script that can be utilized to extend the partition size. For detailed instructions on adding an update package to WinRE, please refer to the “Extend the Windows RE Partition” section.
- Instructions for manually adjusting the WinRE partition size can also be located in KB5028997: Guidance on resizing your partition manually to facilitate the installation of the WinRE update.
Following the completion of these manual steps will enable the successful installation of this update.
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