Microsoft is having a moment. April’s updates have caused as many problems as they’ve resolved, at least from a user perspective. Mysterious folders have appeared on PCs along with dire warnings. And now a new error pushes users to redo an update. But Microsoft has now warned that is not the case — no new update is required. The common theme is that Microsoft is warning users they must do nothing.
As I reported last week, the first and most innocuous of these issues is the empty “inetpub” folder that appeared on devices post April’s update. As tempting as it might be to delete this folder, don’t. Per Windows Latest, “you’re not supposed to remove the folder… That’s because it’s linked to a security patch for a bug titled CVE-2025-21204, which is a flaw that allows attackers to modify the system files or folders.”
Now we have another do nothing warning. Neowin reports that “sometimes, dealing with Windows Update issues is much simpler. As simple as just ignoring the error. In recently updated documentation, Microsoft notified users that Windows PCs might experience error 0x80070643 with an “ERROR_INSTALL_FAILURE” message when attempting to install an update for the Windows Recovery Environment or WinRE.”
This hits when installing the April 2025 KB5057589 WinRE update and makes it seem as though the update has failed and needs a redo. That’s not the case.
Microsoft says that “this error is observed when the device installs the WinRE update when there is another update in a pending reboot state. Although the error message suggests the update did not complete, the WinRE update is typically applied successfully after the device restarts. Windows Update might continue to display the update as failed until the next daily scan, at which point the update is no longer offered and the failure message is cleared automatically.”
Windows Latest explains that “many users couldn’t install the update because of the partition size for the Recovery disk, which caused the error. But the catch is that the error affected even those who do not have low storage. And that’s where things got tricker because nobody could go past the error message.” But according to Microsoft, “WinRE update is ‘typically applied successfully’ despite the failure message.”
All of which means once you have applied the April updates, do not update again regardless of the error messages you’re seeing, at least until you have restarted to see if that clears the issue. And don’t delete that “inetpub” security folder either.
There’s a chance the erroneous WinRE error might be a little persistent. But again, says Windows Latest, “just ignore… Microsoft has officially recommended users to ignore the errors.” Or to put it even more starkly: “If you run into Windows Update error code 0x80070643, don’t try to fix it because you can’t do that.”
Microsoft also adds its usual reminder that “on October 14, 2025, Windows 10 will reach end of support. After this date, devices running Windows 10 will no longer receive fixes for known issues, time zone updates, technical support, or monthly security and preview updates containing protection from the latest security threats.”
That’s the much bigger issue, and does require you to update your Windows 10 PC.
