Microsoft has successfully addressed a significant issue affecting the launch of certain applications on Windows 10 22H2 systems, particularly for users operating under non-administrative accounts. This problem arose following the installation of the September preview cumulative update.
Understanding the Issue
The root of the launch difficulties lies in the child processes of the affected applications, which were running at low Integrity levels instead of the required medium levels. According to Microsoft’s recent entry on the Windows health dashboard, users may have encountered issues with applications such as Quick Assist, Microsoft Teams, and Windows Narrator after installing the September 2024 preview update (KB5043131), released on September 24, 2024, or later.
Specifically, the problem manifests when applications that set UIAccess=true attempt to run under non-admin user accounts. The uiAccess=true attribute in an application’s manifest file requests elevated privileges, which are necessary for proper functionality.
Paths Affected
The applications in question are typically launched from secure directories, including:
- ProgramFiles folder and its subdirectories
- %systemroot%system32
- %systemroot%syswow64 (for 64-bit versions of Windows)
Resolution and Implementation
While the fix is being rolled out through Windows Update, Microsoft has implemented a Known Issue Rollback (KIR) to resolve this problem promptly. This fix will automatically propagate to all home and non-managed enterprise devices within the next 24 hours.
For Windows enterprise-managed devices that have been impacted, administrators will need to take additional steps to apply the Known Issue Rollback Group Policy. This involves accessing the Local Computer Policy or the Domain policy on the domain controller via the Group Policy Editor. Administrators should select the appropriate Windows version to target and restart the affected devices to ensure the group policy setting takes effect.
For detailed instructions on deploying and configuring KIR Group Policies, Microsoft has made additional resources available on its support website.
Recent Use of Known Issue Rollback
This is not the first instance of Microsoft utilizing the Known Issue Rollback feature. In August, the company employed this method to rectify performance issues, boot problems, and system freezes experienced on Windows Server 2019 systems following the installation of the August 2024 security updates. Additionally, just a month prior, a similar approach was taken to resolve automation issues related to Windows Update on Windows 11 systems.
