Microsoft has updated its official documentation with a confirmation that some users might have problems installing the latest security updates for Windows 11 22H2 and 23H2. According to the company, KB5034765 fails to install with the following message:
Something did not go as planned. No need to worry – undoing changes. Please keep your computer turned on
Other users report a similar message in Windows Update:
We could not install this update, but you can try again (0x800f0922)
In addition to the not-so-helpful error message and its cryptic code (you can also find it in the Windows Event Viewer), the update hangs and stops responding at 96% for some users.
Fortunately, there is a workaround for those affected. Microsoft says uninstalling the hidden folder C:\$WinREAgent should fix the issue and force the update to install. Delete the folder, restart your system, and try downloading KB5034765 again. Microsoft is already working on resolving the bug in an upcoming update.
Although the 0x800f0922 error does not affect Windows 10 users, they recently had a fair share of WinRE-related issues as well. In January 2024, Microsoft issued a notification that extending the WinRE partition is necessary to install the latest security update. Otherwise, Windows 10 would throw the "0x80070643 - ERROR_INSTALL_FAILURE" at you. You can check out this article to learn more about mitigating the problem.
Microsoft does not say what causes the 0x800f0922 error on Windows 11 versions 22H2 and 23H2, so we can only guess whether it is related to the recent Windows 10 WinRE issues.
In case you missed it, a few days ago, Microsoft resolved another bug in Windows 11 that was preventing apps from recording, playing, or capturing videos with the WVC1 codec. Fixing that bug requires installing KB5034204 (January 2024 non-security update) or KB5034765 (February 2024 security update).
Update: Microsoft has provided a more detailed workaround since.