Windows 10 update causing PCs to be stuck in re-install loop

A November update to the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRe) for Windows 10 is frustrating users by causing problems with PCs.

The update, named KB5048239, is supposed to install improvements to WinRe for Windows versions 10 21H2, and 22H2.

However, according to several user reports, after the update is installed, installation is repeated the next time the Windows Update is run.

German website Born’s Tech and Windows World reported the issue based on several emails that it received from users. There are also complaints about the issue on German forums, the official Windows Forum, and Reddit.

“Some systems keep re-downloading and installing KB5048239 despite reporting a "successful" installation each time. To make matters worse, the entire ordeal has no official fix, no clever workaround, and no word from Microsoft on when a resolution is expected,” a user comments on Windows Forum reads.

On its support page, Microsoft states that the update requires 250 MB of free space in the recovery partition to install successfully.

Restart loops after Windows updates are quite common. Last year, many Windows 11 users reported restart loops and Blue screens of death after installing Windows update KB5043145.