If your Windows 10 desktop, laptop or tablet automatically installs the KB4100347 security update, there is a chance that you may end up with a frozen operating system after the device reboots. The security update in question is related to the Spectre and Foreshadow vulnerabilities discovered by security researchers last year; these security issues affect a broad range of Intel processors, but Microsoft apparently pushed out the patch to all Windows 10 users.
Spectre & Foreshadow, Which Users Are Affected
Windows 10 users whose computers are equipped with an AMD processor or an Intel chip that is not affected by Spectre or Foreshadow, there is a chance that you will see the infamous “blue screen of death.” Your system may not even make it past the Windows logo screen upon reboot, and there is the chance that reinstalling Windows 10 may result in another automatic download and installation of the KB4100347 update.
Solving System Update Issues
There is a way you can troubleshoot and fix this issue on your own, and it requires that you boot into Safe Mode. If you are able to see the Windows 10 login screen or the desktop, you can click or tap on the icon that looks like an On/Off button; hold down the Shift button on your keyboard and choose Restart. If your system does not fully boot, you can press the F8 button in one-second intervals soon after pushing the hardware On button.
Once you are in Safe Mode, click on the Start button and choose Settings followed by Update and Security. Within this window, click on the Windows Update history so that you can display the culprit KB4100347 and uninstall it. As of late August, Microsoft was working on modifying the patch so that systems not equipped with affected Intel processors are not targeted, and this will prevent future automatic installations.
