Microsoft has acknowledged and resolved a known issue affecting Windows Server 2019 systems after the installation of the August 2024 security updates. The issue caused performance problems, boot issues, and freezes on these systems. The resolution was achieved through Known Issue Rollback (KIR), and Microsoft is planning to incorporate the fix into a future Windows update.
Windows Server 2019 boot issues
The problem arose after the installation of the KB5041578 cumulative update, released on August 13, 2024. Windows admins reported that their servers experienced significant performance issues, becoming unusable due to high CPU usage, particularly with Cryptographic Services. The issue was more prevalent in enterprise environments where antivirus software scanned the %systemroot%\system32\catroot2 folder for Windows updates, leading to errors in catalog enumeration.
Affected servers exhibited several symptoms, including:
- Increased CPU utilization
- Elevated disk latency and disk utilization
- Degraded OS or application performance
- Failure of the Cryptographic Services (CryptSVC) service to start
- Booting into a black screen
- Slow boot times
- Freezing or hanging
Resolution
Microsoft resolved the issue using Known Issue Rollback (KIR), a feature that reverses flawed non-security updates delivered via Windows Update. To fix the issue on impacted Windows enterprise-managed devices, admins need to install and configure the Windows 10 1809 and Windows Server 2019 KB5041578 240816_21501 Known Issue Rollback Group Policy. This involves setting up the Group Policy under Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates and restarting the affected devices to apply the policy setting.
Future plans
Once the update with the resolution is released, organizations will no longer need to install and configure this Group Policy to address the issue. Microsoft is working to include the fix in a future Windows update to ensure that the problem is permanently resolved.
Microsoft’s swift response to the Windows Server 2019 boot issues caused by the August 2024 security updates demonstrates the company’s commitment to maintaining the stability and performance of its server operating systems. The use of Known Issue Rollback (KIR) allowed for a quick resolution, and the planned inclusion of the fix in a future Windows update will ensure that the issue does not recur.
Microsoft has also recently acknowledged that the August 2024 Windows security updates are causing issues with Linux booting on systems configured for dual-boot with Secure Boot enabled.
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