Windows update error due to missing Edge browser

[German]Once again, I'm bringing up an issue, that I've already touched on in posts about patchday issues with failed Windows update installations. Errors can occur during Windows update installation if the Microsoft Edge browser is not installed on the system. A blog reader got in touch at the beginning of February 2024 and confirmed another such case.

Windows Nov. 2023 update error 0x800f0922

I did a little search in the blog because I still remembered that I mentioned topic "Update errors when Edge is  uninstalled". With the November 2023 updates, there was a problem under Windows 11 22H2 and 23H2 that the installation of update KB5032190 failed for some users with error code 0x800f0922. This is a generic error, the error code 0x800f0922 stands for CBS_E_INSTALLERS_FAILED ("Error processing extended installation programs and generic commands.").

There can be many reasons for this. However, in the blog post Windows: November 2023 patchday issues, I mentioned that I was aware of cases where this update installation error was due to a missing Edge browser in Windows. At the time, I had referred to an older blog post on German site deskmodder.de, which states that one of the causes of the error is an uninstalled Edge browser. German site Dr. Windows has this post reporting error 0x800f0922 when installing the Windows 10 22H2 update KB5032189 (preview from October 26, 2023). Microsoft Edge was also the culprit there.

This is great, of course, as Microsoft is allowing European users to uninstall the Microsoft Edge browser under Windows due to pressure from the EU Digital Service Act (DSA).

A reader confirmation

At the beginning of February 2024, a blog reader got in touch who had already experienced one of the Windows 10 Pro update errors since the patchday in October 2023. The error persisted over the following months. The reader wrote:

The update error with Win 10 (since patchday October 2023) had kept me busy for a long time without success. I then simply sat it out behind my router and with Eset security, because MS might offer a solution after all.

Strangely, all monthly updates were shown as installed with a delay in the update history. Only the latest update was always canceled at 98 / 99% and rolled back lengthwise. Suspend was grayed out. Fortunately, it was possible to restart and shut down without an update.

The reader had configured a Windows 10 computer in a way, that he removed the Microsoft Edge browser and used Firefox. The reader had previously blocked various things with Windows 10 Firewall Control Free Edition. Switching off Firewall Control Free Edition completely as a test did nothing to resolve the installation error. The reader then reinstalled the Microsoft Edge browser. After that, Windows 10 was able to install the blocked update immediately without any problems. Maybe it will help someone.