Microsoft releases KB4598298 update to fix Windows 10 crashes and restart problems

We might only be three weeks into 2021, but Microsoft has already issued a number of patches for Windows 10 -- and now it's time for another one. If you have been experiencing unexpected restarts in Windows 10, or crashes when using BitLocker, there's a new update for you to install.

Microsoft has released the KB4598298 update to fix a number of issues including BitLocker-related crashes, and restarts caused by exception code 0xc0000005 (Access Violation) in LSASS.exe. Before you rush to grab the update, however, it's worth noting that there is a known issue relating to system and user certificates that you should be aware of.

See also:

• Weird Windows 10 bug causes BSoD if you visit a certain path using Chrome
• Microsoft releases KB4598479 update to fix 'Reset this PC' bug in Windows 10
• Serious Windows 10 flaw could corrupt your hard drive if you open a folder

The company warns that when updating a computer from Windows 10 version 1809+ to a later version of Windows 10, there is a "possibility of losing system and user certificates. This issue should only arise on devices that have already installed any Latest Cumulative Update (LCU) released September 16, 2020 or later and then proceed to update to a later version of Windows 10 from media or an installation source which does not have an LCU released October 13, 2020 or later integrated". Microsoft offers the following workaround:

If you have already encountered this issue on your device, you can mitigate it within the uninstall window by going back to your previous version of Windows using the instructions here. The uninstall window might be 10 or 30 days depending on the configuration of your environment and the version you're updating to. You will then need to update to the later version of Windows 10 after the issue is resolved in your environment.

This issue aside, the KB4598298 update addresses a large number of issues, so it's worth grabbing it from the usual sources.

In a support document about the update, Microsoft shares some of the highlights of KB4598298:

• Updates an issue with some special key combinations used in DaYi, Yi, and Array IMEs that might cause an application to stop working.
• Updates an issue that prevents you from opening a document that is on the Windows desktop and generates the error, “The directory name is invalid.”
• Updates an issue that displays a blank lock screen after a device wakes up from Hibernate.
• Corrects historical daylight savings time (DST) information for the Palestinian Authority.
• Adds a notification that tells you when your device is close to end of service (EOS). At EOS, your device will stop receiving important quality and security updates.
• Updates an issue that fails to show Extract all on the shortcut menu when you right-click an online-only ZIP file.

The company also points out a number of other improvements and fixes the update brings:

• Enables administrators to disable standalone Internet Explorer using a Group Policy while continuing to use Microsoft Edge's IE Mode.
• Enables you to configure certain policies that support Microsoft Edge IE Mode using mobile device management (MDM).
• Addresses an issue that displays a User Account Control (UAC) dialog box unexpectedly when you turn on speech recognition.
• Addresses an issue that fails to notify the target application when you select the Copy link command on the Share menu.
• Changes the way DirectX 12 runtime components load by splitting the d3d12.dll binary into two pieces: d3d12.dll and d3d12core.dll. This change improves versioning and updating for these components.
• Addresses an issue that prevents JumpList items from functioning. This occurs when you create them using the Windows Runtime (WinRT) Windows.UI.StartScreen API for desktop applications that are packaged in the MSIX format.
• Addresses an issue that occurs when the Mandatory Profile check box is selected when you copy a user profile.
• Addresses an issue with some special key combinations used in DaYi, Yi, and Array IMEs that might cause an application to stop working.
• Addresses an issue that prevents you from opening a document that is on the Windows desktop and generates the error, "The directory name is invalid." This issue occurs after changing the desktop location in the Location tab of the Desktop Properties dialog box (File Explorer > This PC > Desktop).
• Addresses an issue that displays a blank lock screen after a device wakes up from Hibernate.
• Corrects historical daylight savings time (DST) information for the Palestinian Authority.
• Addresses an issue with German translations of Central European Time.
• Adds support for serial number control using the registry.
• Addresses an issue that causes the upload of diagnostic logs to a management service, such as Microsoft Intune, to fail. The failure occurs because of a network time-out on a slow network.
• Displays a notification to a user when an administrator signs in to an MDM service, such as Microsoft Intune, to find the location of a managed device.
• Addresses an issue that causes the silent mode deployment of BitLocker to fail with the error 0x80310001. This issue occurs when deploying BitLocker encryption to Hybrid Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) joined devices.
• Addresses an issue that causes an unexpected system restart because of exception code 0xc0000005 (Access Violation) in LSASS.exe; the faulting module is webio.dll.
• Addresses an issue that might cause systems that use BitLocker to stop working with the error 0x120 (BITLOCKER_FATAL_ERROR).
• Addresses an issue that causes a device to stop working when deploying Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager if AppLocker is enabled on the device.
• Addresses an issue that might cause a black screen to appear or delay signing in to Hybrid Azure Active Directory joined machines. Additionally, there is no access to login.microsoftonline.com.
• Addresses an issue that cause the LSASS.exe process to leak memory on a server that is under a heavy authentication load when Kerberos Armoring (Flexible Authentication Secure Tunneling (FAST)) is enabled.
• Addresses a memory leak on Windows servers that are configured as Active Directory domain controllers. This issue occurs when the Key Distribution Center (KDC) attempts to fetch the Service for User (S4U) client name during certificate authentication.
• Addresses an issue that causes LSASS.exe to stop working because of a race condition that results in a double free error in Schannel. The exception code is c0000374, and the Event Log displays Schannel event 36888, fatal error code 20, and error state 960. This issue occurs after installing Windows updates from September 2020 and later.
• Addresses an issue in which a principal in a trusted MIT realm fails to obtain a Kerberos service ticket from Active Directory domain controllers (DC). This occurs on devices that installed Windows Updates that contain CVE-2020-17049 protections and configured PerfromTicketSignature to 1 or higher. These updates were released between November 10, 2020 and December 8, 2020. Ticket acquisition also fails with the error, “KRB_GENERIC_ERROR”, if callers submit a PAC-less Ticket Granting Ticket (TGT) as an evidence ticket without providing the USER_NO_AUTH_DATA_REQUIRED flag.
• Addresses an issue with HTTP caching that interferes with kiosk mode that targets Azure AD groups.
• Addresses an issue with using Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC) and running a file while Managed Installer (MI) or Intelligent Security Graph (ISG) is enabled. You can now use fsutil to look for the $KERNEL.SMARTLOCKER.ORIGINCLAIM extended-attribute (EA) on a file. If this EA is present, then MI or ISG can run the file. You can use fsutil in conjunction with Enabling ISG and MI diagnostic events.
• Addresses an issue that allows an app that has been blocked from hydrating files to continue hydrating files in some cases.
• Addresses an issue that prevents access to a Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) snapshot of Resilient File System (ReFS) volumes for 30 minutes. This occurs when the ReFS volumes contain 100,000 or more concurrently open files. As a result, a time-out occurs, which causes backups of the first and third applications to fail.
• Adds a notification that tells you when your device is close to end of service (EOS). At EOS, your device will stop receiving important quality and security updates.
• Addresses an issue with Administrative Template settings you configure using a Group Policy Object (GPO). When you change the value of the policy settings to NOT CONFIGURED, the system fails to remove the previous settings. This issue is most noticeable with roaming user profiles.
• Addresses an issue that fails to show Extract all on the shortcut menu when you right-click an online-only ZIP file.
• Updates the process for enrolling in online speech recognition. If you are already enrolled, you will see a message that asks you to review the new settings. If you choose not to contribute your speech data for human review, you can still use online speech recognition. The new settings contain one button to turn on online speech recognition and another button that turns on the collection of your voice clips. If you turn on the collection of your voice clips, you can turn it off at any time using the same button in the new settings page.

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