Microsoft cautions against installing the latest Windows 10 update

Installing the KB4520062 cumulative update for Windows 10 – released on October 15 – could break the Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) service. That’s the warning provided in Microsoft’s release notes, stating that certain customers should not install this update.

“After installing this update, the Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) service might stop running and might fail to send reporting data,” the warning reads. “You might also receive a 0xc0000409 error in Event Viewer in MsSense.exe.”

Before going on a red alert, this issue pertains to Microsoft’s enterprise-based customers. Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection is a paid service for detecting, investigating, and responding to “advanced threats.” It’s built into Windows 10 but unrelated to the Windows Security platform found in Windows 10 Home and Pro.

Microsoft notes that it’s currently “working on a resolution” but doesn’t expect an official fix until the middle of November. That means businesses and corporations should not install this update until then. If the update is already installed, issues with the Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection platform may already be in effect. Uninstall the update and wait for a fix.

While the issue doesn’t target mainstream customers, it’s notable because the update follows a series of problems with updating Windows 10 over the last month. Microsoft released an update on September 16 that broke Windows Defender. The update that was distributed on October 3 caused problems with the Start Menu and broke the print spooler. Five days later, many users complained about the still-broken Start Menu with the October 8 update.

Microsoft released a servicing stack update on October 8. The company warns that all customers should install this update before any other update(s). The company explains that the servicing stack is “the component that installs Windows updates.” The latest patch improves the reliability of the update process, meaning Windows 10 devices can’t properly update unless they keep the service stack current.

Despite the issue with Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection, the KB4520062 cumulative update brings a large list of fixes and improvements. It addresses an issue that causes high CPU usage when Background Application Manager runs a scan while multiple windows remain open. It fixes a Bluetooth issue tied to audio profiles and a problem that involves naming Microsoft SharePoint files incorrectly.

Here are a few other interesting fixes:

Addresses an issue that causes the Settings app to stop working when you change a Theme.
Prevents the appearance of blank tiles in the Start menu when you upgrade to Windows 10, version 1809 from any previous version of Windows 10.
Addresses an issue that causes the power consumption for a device in Connected Standby mode to be high.
Addresses an issue with the Windows Mixed Reality Portal that might intermittently generate a “15-5” error.
Hitting ‘Check for updates’ in Windows 10 opts you into beta releases
Windows 10 Anniversary Update protected users against pre-patched exploits
Could Microsoft have just released the final Windows 10 Anniversary Update build to Insiders?