Blue Screen (Stop 0x50) after applying update KB2982791 to Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit

Anonymous
2014-08-13T13:18:22+00:00

Yesterday I ran all the updates of the August patch day. Installation went smoothly. After rebooting everything worked fine. But when I shut down my notebook and switched it on a little later it came up with a blue screen with a Stop 0x50 in Win32k.sys. I could not even boot into safe mode as Windows failed to start no matter which mode chose.

So I restored from a backup, installed the updates again and... same effect. After restoring again I went through the updates and found update KB2982791 which relates to Win32k.sys and fonts. I also found this KB article (Stop error 0x50 in Win32k.sys) which says that a Stop 0x50 occurs because Win32k.sys crashes when the font cache is not correctly maintained. Quite a bizarre behaviour to crash the whole operating system because a cache seems to be invalid. A decent programmer would have just cleared the cache and continued.

Since security update KB2982791 relates to fonts, as well, I guess that MS has once again messed up an update.

From my experience with MS "support" I know that MS does not care about bug reports. So I just post this to inform people which may have been bitten by this bug. If possible, restore your OS or boot from CD and uninstall update KB2982791. Then things should work again. Oh, and after that switch off automatic updating...

Regards,

Frank

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Windows update

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Anonymous
2014-08-15T18:20:41+00:00

I can confirm that removing fntcache.dat fixed the issue.

My dad had this issue on his win7 x64 PC after the update that he received on 15-08-2014.

Checking the update history, He only received KB2982791, not the other mentioned suspects.

Removal of fntcache.dat via command prompt via de recovery disk solved the problem.

For anyone having issues removing the file with commandprompt, here is my quick guide:

  1. Insert the recovery disk/windows installation disk.
  2. Boot from disk by pressing F12 or whatever key is shown when your PC turns on that says "BOOT MENU" or something alike.
  3. Select CD/Disk Drive
  4. Let the windows files load, select a language and then select the restore option on the bottom.
  5. Then select the top option to get a list of all the repair tools.
  6. Click on command prompt on the bottom.
  7. You'll see a letter, for example X:. This is your windows CD. We need to get to the windows installation on your hard drive, but even though this might have been C: when your PC was still working, it could very well be another letter now, so to try this out, first type:

wmic logicaldisk get name

to get a list of all your drives. Then access every disk you see in that list by typing:

cd /d A:

cd /d B:

cd /d C: 

and so on, each time checking what's on the drive by typing dir.

If you see a list that contains folders like "Windows" and "Program Files", you're most likely on your harddrive that contains your windows installation.

  1. Now go to the system32 folder by typing:

cd windows

cd system32

  1. Now check if the fntcache.dat file exists, by typing:

if exist fntcache.dat ( echo yes ) else ( echo no )

  1. If you see "yes" below that line, this means that the file exists, and your problems will most likely be fixed very soon.
  2. Type the following command to remove the file:

del fntcache.dat

  1. Press <arrow up> twice, to repeat the "if exist fntcache..." command. This should now output "no".
  2. If that's the case, reboot your computer and keep your fingers crossed. This worked for me :-)! Good luck. If it still doesn't work, I suggest you follow the steps to remove the entire faulty windows update by following the instructions elsewhere in this topic, that I'll also post below (my own version, for your convenience):
  3. Once you know the letter of your windows drive (see my tutorial above), type the following command (replace C: with the letter of your drive that contains your windows installation):

dism /image:C:\ /get-packages

  1. Search the results for the faulty security update KB2982791, and just to be sure, find KB2976897 and KB2970228 as well.
  2. Write down the exact package names, and remove them with the following commands (replace drive letter again to fit your system, and replace the package names with how they're named on your system):

dism /image:C:\ /remove-package/PackageName:Package_for_KB2970228~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.1.1.2

dism /image:C:\ /remove-package/PackageName:Package_for_KB2982791~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.1.1.1

dism /image:C:\ /remove-package/PackageName:Package_for_KB2976897~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.1.1.0

  1. You'll receive messages that state that the uninstallations were successfull.
  2. Restart the computer into normal mode.

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Anonymous
2014-08-14T19:20:38+00:00

Hello,

I had the same problem on two computers, both win7 64bits.

I could solve it by booting from a DVD and removing the following file:

c:\Windows\System32\FNTCACHE.DAT

For sake of completeness, I first removed the files

c:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Local\FontCache3.0.0.0.dat

c:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Local\FontCache-System.dat

But that didn't solve the problem. Then I removed the file I mentioned first. So, in the end all 3 files were removed, but I guess the first one is the culprit.

[Susan moderator here, I'm marking this ONLY as an answer so that it shows up at the top.  This is a workaround - NOT a real answer. We still don't understand why this is happening and what the root cause is.]

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Anonymous
2015-05-15T21:23:10+00:00

when i try to run the command: 

dism /image:C:\ /remove-package/PackageName:Package_for_KB2970228~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.1.1.2

It saids that windows is running and suggest me to use /online ...

I have attach as an external drive the hard drive with the windows 7 x64 with the issue

How can i run the command to remove the upgrades as an external drive with the command dism /online????

i found it googling:

C:\WINDOWS\system32>dism /online /remove-package/packagename:

C->Is the letter of the drive

Package_for_KB2919355~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.3.1.14 -> is the name of the package

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Anonymous
2014-08-27T17:46:24+00:00

On August 27, 2014, Microsoft revised security bulletin MS14-045 - Vulnerabilities in Kernel-Mode Drivers Could Allow Elevation of Privilege - to address known issues associated with installation of security update 2982791.

==================================
SUMMARY
==================================
To address known issues with security update 2982791, Microsoft rereleased MS14-045  to replace the 2982791 update with the 2993651 update for all supported releases of Microsoft Windows. Microsoft expired the original update 2982791 on August 15, 2014.

All customers should apply the 2993651 update, which replaces the expired 2982791 update. 

For more information about the known issues with the original 2982791 update, see the Known Issues section of Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 2982791.

==================================
ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
==================================
Q: I already successfully installed the original 2982791 security update and am not experiencing any difficulties. Should I apply the replacement update 2993651, released on August 27, 2014? 

A: Yes. All customers should apply the 2993651 update, which replaces the expired 2982791 update. 

Q: Is it necessary to uninstall the expired 2982791 update before applying the replacement 2993651 update?

A: Technically, it is not necessary to uninstall the expired 2982791 update before applying the replacement 2993651 update; however, Microsoft strongly recommends it. Customers who do not remove the expired 2982791 update at some point will retain a listing for 2982791 under installed updates in Control Panel.

Q: I uninstalled the original 2982791 security update. Should I apply the replacement update 2993651, released on August 27, 2014? 

A: Yes. To be protected from CVE-2014-0318 and CVE-2014-1819, all customers should apply the rereleased update (2993651), which replaces the expired 2982791 update.

Q: What if I experienced difficulties restarting my system after installing the original security update 2982791? 

A: Customers who experienced difficulties restarting their systems after installing the original security update 2982791 should no longer experience this problem after installing the replacement update 2993651. 

==================================
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
==================================
➢ Microsoft Security Bulletin MS14-045 - Vulnerabilities in Kernel-Mode Drivers Could Allow Elevation of Privilege - https://technet.microsoft.com/library/security/ms14-045 

➢ Microsoft KB Article 2993651 - MS14-045: Description of the security update for kernel-mode drivers: August 27, 2014 - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2993651  

➢ Microsoft KB Article 2982791 - MS14-045: Description of the security update for kernel-mode drivers: August 12, 2014 - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2982791

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  1. Anonymous
    2014-08-17T20:20:27+00:00

    The following is an update to the post I made at 11:44 PST today (17 August 2014).  Use this version of the instructions not the earlier one posted at 11:44 PST.

    Note that if you perform the modifications mentioned below, you do so at your own risk.

    Regarding win32k.sys, Page fault in non-paged area, stop code:  0x00000050

    Restored the six crashed 8760w computers with Win 7 Professional 64 bit back to the restore point that was seconds before the 12 August 2014 installation occurred.

    1)  If you have manual updates set (which I always do), then try ESCAPE, and repeatedly click the F8 key.  Then select System Restore, and pick the restore point (expand by checking the box if needed) that corresponds to the minute you attempted to do the updates that Microsoft released on 12 August 2014.

    2)  Restart the computer and let the updates be installed.

    3)  Restart the computer a SECOND time to verify that you can get into Windows 7.

    4)  Download the current updates on the Microsoft web site.  As of 11:15 PST 17 August 2014, two updates from the Microsoft 12 August 2014 push were removed, namely:

    Security update for Windows 7, X64-based systems (KB2982791)

    Update for Windows 7, X64-based systems (KB2970228)

    5)  Restart the computer and let the updates be installed.

    6)  Restart the computer a SECOND time to verify that you can get into Windows 7.

    My dead 8760w computers now works fine.  And they work fine without clearing the font cache.  Regardless, some people have missed the fact that one or both of the KB updates that were deleted by Microsoft AFTER 12 August 2014 ALTER THE WIN32K.SYS FILE!

    Pre 12 August 2014 win32k.sys = 17 June 2014, 6:10 PM, 3084 KB

    12 August 2014 win32k.sys = 15 July 2014, 7:12 PM, 3090 KB (This file version is on a Dell workstation that updated OK with ALL the 12 August 2014 updates and has no blue screen or other issues).

    17 August 2014 win32k.sys = 17 June 2014, 6:10 PM, 3084 KB—this is the same file version and time stamp as the Pre 12 August 2014 win32k.sys file—so it wasn’t updated.  The explanation is below.

    Since Microsoft pushes updates on the second Tuesday of the month to retail customers on their web site (windows update), note that the second Tuesday in June was June 10, the second Tuesday in July was July 8 and the second Tuesday in August was August 12.

    Thus the file with the date stamp of 17 June 2014 was pushed out by Microsoft in the July 2014 updates because it was AFTER the second Tuesday in June (June 10).  This is the version of the file you want.

    Similarly, the file with the time stamp of 15 July 2014 was pushed out by Microsoft in the August 2014 updates because it was AFTER the second Tuesday in July (July 8).   This is the version of win32k.sys that is causing the blue screen.

    Hence by reverting the system to the instant before the August 2014 updates were installed then performing the Microsoft updates currently, you get all of the updates EXCEPT the two that changed the win32k.sys file--both its date stamp and the file size.  You still maintain the

    Pre 12 August 2014 win32k.sys = 17 June 2014, 6:10 PM, 3084 KB

    This appears to be a stable temporary solution and doesn't require clearing the FONT cache or anything else, and you haven’t hacked anything.  However, it's up to Microsoft to now develop and post an easy fix for updating the win32k.sys file and the apparent security problems it was having that required the KB2982791 and KB2970228.

    Note also that if you perform the modifications mentioned above, you do so at your own risk.

    ewin7

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