KB5013943 update for Windows 11 is causing 0xc0000135 errors

While each Patch Tuesday sees Microsoft fixing various problems with Windows 11, the following days see the negative fallout. We've become used to the updates that Microsoft releases having unwanted side, and this month's KB5013943 update is a prime example.

With echoes of a previous update fiasco that caused endless problems with printing, Microsoft intended the KB5013943 update to fix an issue with .NET Framework 3.5 apps introduced by another update. But rather than fixing the problem, installing the KB5013943 update seems to have made things worse for some users.

See also:

• You can now buy official Microsoft Windows 11 Home and Windows 11 Pro USB drives
• Microsoft releases KB5013943 update to fix screen flicker and app problems in Windows 11
• Microsoft to release fix for 'code defect' in KB5012599 update for Windows 10

Complaints are popping up on the likes of Twitter and Microsoft’s support forums, with some people who have install the KB5013943 update for Windows 11 saying they are plagued with apps that will not launch and 0xc0000135 errors.

Upon launching an affected app, users are greeted by a message that reads:

The application was unable to start correctly (0xc0000135). Click OK to close the application.

The likes of PowerShell, Event Viewer and ProtonVPN are affected, although Microsoft is yet to officially acknowledge the problems.

As the issue has not been acknowledged, there is no official workaround -- but a couple of potential solutions have emerged.

The first is to simply uninstall the KB5013943 update, but this is not really recommended as it is an important security update.

The other option is to enable or re-enable the .NET Framework 3.5 (includes .NET 2.0 and 3.0) and Net Framework 4.8 Advanced Services components in Windows 11. This can be achieved via the Turn Windows features on or off section of the Control Panel, or by using the following command at an elevated Command Prompt:

dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:netfx3 /all

dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:WCF-HTTP-Activation

dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:WCF-NonHTTP-Activation

Nods of recognition to Bleeping Computer and Günter Born for bringing these issues to wider attention.

Image credit: gioiak2 / depositphotos