Microsoft confirms problems with updating and uninstalling apps on Windows 10

In a recent development, Windows 10 users are encountering challenges with updating or uninstalling applications, coinciding with the introduction of full-screen advertisements for Windows 11. Microsoft has acknowledged this issue and provided insights on its official Windows Health Dashboard.

Understanding the Bug

This particular bug diverges from the usual suspects associated with Windows updates or security patches. Instead, it stems from the WinAppSDK 1.6.2 package, which was released on November 12, 2024. Users attempting to update applications that rely on this SDK are met with the frustrating message: “Something happened on our end,” courtesy of the Microsoft Store.

For IT administrators managing packaged applications via PowerShell, the situation is equally challenging. They may encounter the following error:

If you are an IT administrator trying to manage packaged apps through PowerShell using the ‘Get-AppxPackage’ command, you might observe the error ‘Deployment failed with HRESULT: 0x80073CFA’, ‘Please contact your software vendor. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80073CFA)’ in PowerShell.

Impact on Applications

The ramifications of this bug extend across a variety of applications, notably affecting Microsoft Teams and other first and third-party programs on Windows 10. Microsoft has assured users that it is actively working on a resolution, with a patch anticipated to be released within a few days. In the interim, IT admins can refer to GitHub for PowerShell instructions aimed at addressing the issues with affected devices and stalled applications.

Interestingly, Windows 11 users are not impacted by this bug. Microsoft has clarified that only Windows 10 version 22H2 is experiencing these difficulties, leaving users with more recent Windows versions free from such complications. Additionally, Win32 applications remain unaffected on both Windows 10 and 11.

This marks the second instance of application-related troubles for Windows 10 users in recent weeks. Earlier in November, Microsoft alerted users to issues with certain apps failing to launch following the installation of KB5043131. Fortunately, this was rectified with the release of KB5046613 on November 12, 2024.

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Microsoft confirms problems with updating and uninstalling apps on Windows 10