Windows 11 and Patch Tuesday
The problems surrounding the Windows 11 update KB5034765 are increasing. After the taskbar disappears, there are reports of File Explorer crashing.
KB5034765 is a cumulative update delivered to coincide with Patch Tuesday in February 2024. It is aimed at PCs running Windows 11. The content is mainly about security, but also offers bug fixes. Since its introduction in the Windows Update service, reports of malfunctions have continued to appear.
Sources have confirmed that Microsoft is investigating a bug affecting the desktop interface and the taskbar in particular. You can read our special news again: Windows 10 and Windows 11, the taskbar disappears on certain PCs. According to a recent report, this file was urgently addressed so that a fix would already be available on the server side. It would be applied automatically and would require no user intervention. This information is plausible considering that the taskbar is the central element of the Windows interface.
Windows 11, File Explorer crashes
The second “big” problem concerns a major Windows 11 application, File Explorer. A blockage is observed by some users after restarting or shutting down the PC. This bug is not new, as it appeared when Microsoft released the optional update KB5034204 online for the month of January (its content is largely provided by the February 2024 Patch Tuesday cumulative update, i.e. KB5034765).
The error is accompanied by the following error message
The instruction at 0x00007FFB20563ACa referenced the memory at 0x0000000000000024. The memory could not be written to.
Click OK to exit the program.
At the moment the problem persists despite various attempts to resolve it. Some have implemented the System File Checker tool (sfc /scannow) or a RAM test using the Windows built-in tool and memtest86+, but to no avail. However, it appears that the victims have something in common in terms of their configuration. They all have a controller, such as an Xbox 360 controller, connected to their PC. However, there is currently no established connection.
Note that for KB5034765, Microsoft mentions a fix for an issue that caused explorer.exe to fail when restarting or turning off a PC with a controller accessory attached. However, his presence does not seem to offer any solution as the cases are still current.
Finally, there are also reports of problems during installation with errors 0x800f0922, 0x800f0982 and 0x80070002. One solution seems to work. If you are affected, try deleting the hidden $WinREAgent folder. There are several possibilities for that.
The easiest way is to run the Disk Cleanup application as an administrator.
Then select the system drive and check the boxes for “Temporary files” and other relevant options.
Windows 11 – Disk Cleanup Tool
Now all you have to do is click “OK” to start the process. This will remove unnecessary files in $WinREAgent.