Support for Windows 10 officially ended October 14th, and since then most users should have already received Extended Security Updates (ESU) if they registered for them. However, for some, the ESU login window never appeared, which can certainly be a problem.
Yesterday, on November’s big patch day, Microsoft provided a fix for a zero-day vulnerability that’s being exploited in the wild. Windows 10 users should definitely install this, but it isn’t possible without ESU active—and that isn’t possible without the ESU login!
Fortunately, to coincide with the November patch, Microsoft has finally delivered a fix for blocked ESU updates. Update KB5071959 is being delivered as an emergency out-of-band fix (meaning it’s on top of the usual update release schedule) for errors with ESU registration.
What problems does this patch fix?
Several problems can occur when a Windows 10 user registers for the Extended Security Updates program.
Some people don’t see the ESU login window. Others do see it but get an error message like “Something went wrong” or “Something didn’t work” when they try to register despite taking all the necessary steps (logging in as admin, installing all updates, etc.). An in certain EU countries, the ESU registration prompts a message like “temporarily unavailable in your region” or “coming soon.”
According to Microsoft, patch KB5071959 fixes both problems. You should therefore install it as soon as possible so that your Windows 10 PC is protected again and security flaws are addressed.
You can obtain the update via Windows Update. However, update KB5071959 will only appear if no ESU login has yet been registered on your PC. If you’re already registered, you don’t need the patch.
