As DaveM121 (replier to my original posts, an independent adviser) stated: this is a "mess created by Windows Updates". The update process is very clearly not pre-checking or post-checking systems effectively. When the update fails, MS themselves, are offering no automatic solution to rectify this - why on earth should users in this thread and elsewhere be forced to find possible solutions themselves?
If a Windows Update breaks your system - as it clearly can with this update - I'd strongly suggest that no court in any land would define this as 'reasonable behaviour', despite what MS small print might say, lurking underneath. Would be interesting to see what a panel of judges would make of this...perhaps the same 11 Judges in the recent, and very interesting, UK Supreme Court prorogation case might get involved!