Windows update (KB5034441) Error (0x80070643)

How do you know only partition 4 is used for Win RE? What are you seeing that tells you that? Simply that it's the first recovery partition?

When Windows creates a recovery partition, it creates it next to itself.

Partition 4 is already 812MB and so above the limit MS seem to imply. You think it needs to be 1GB? Why can KB5034441 not complete with 813MB already?

The free space must be less than 250 MB regardless. Free space can be less than 250 MB on a partition of any size.

Why not delete them and use that space?

They may be partitions to factory reset Windows.

Can partitions 4, 5 and 6 all be deleted, reclaiming 12GB, extend partition 3 (C:) by 10 or even 11GB, and create a new 2 or 1GB recovery partition on the end of the disk and then rebuild using reagentc /enable

Sure, but I wouldn't sacrifice them for 250 MB.

Most of all run

reagentc /disable

right now to save the recovery image.

And dire warnings about playing with partitions on SSD without disabling write cache/some other setting? Proceed as normal, or anything extra for SSD? And BTW, a BIG thank you 😃

dire warnings about playing with partitions on SSD without disabling write cache/some other setting?

Never seen any, and I'm using an SSD myself. :/

I am curious what kind of Win OS Drive do you have? Is it GPT or MBR. This is important. It sounds like you have a MBR. If you follow the directions given for an MBR Drive to the letter the Partition is not ID'd properly. Also I assume you are NOT using Bitlocker. Also assume you do not have a Over Partitioning SSD active or a Momentum Cache active on SSD. Please read through all this first.

By your screen shot it looks like reagentc is working properly and is pointed at Partition 4. Likely you are on DISK 0. Your size is plenty big, unless you want it to be 1024 (this will equal 1000MB).

Before you start run reagentc /disable.

Wish you had a screen shot of Disk Management screen.

I believe you just have not ID'd the Partition 4 properly to either the MBR Disk ( ID=27) To do this using DISKPART just navigate to your Partition 4 and then use the command SETID=27

Exit and

reagentc /enabled

Exit again.

Restart the PC

For the GPT Drive if you have it (ID=de94bba4-06d1-4d40-a16a-bfd50179d6ac and followed by the command gpt attributes =0x8000000000000001 This is 0x8 with 14 zero's and a 1. This is straight out of KB5028997. You can go to CMD ADMIN then DISKPART then use SEL DISK 0 and SEL PART 4 and DET PART (this is details) to be sure you are looking at the right partition. If you see the above ID in the TYPE: then do nothing. If you see the above Attrib: code then do nothing. Otherwise you need to use SETID= (the code above no spaces and enter) then set ATTRIBUTES= (the code above no spaces and enter) You can check your work with DET PART and look at the details of the partition. Should look like this:

Partition : 4

Type : de94bba4-06d1-4d40-a16a-bfd50179d6ac

Hidden : Yes

Attrib : 0x8000000000000001

Offset in Bytes: (A huge number)

Now type exit (out of DISKPART).

now type reagentc /enable

It should come back with a normal Operation Successful reagentc

Exit again.

Restart your PC.

If this is too much, just start over with the deleting and creation of your Partition 4. The directions from Microsoft do work if followed for the GPT Drive Type.

Read Below, watch the video.

When you are done, you should not see this hidden partition in File Manager, you will see it in Disk Management and it will be identified as a Healthy Recovery Partition.

Not sure you looked at my earlier post, but you can download the Mini Tool Partition Wizard (Free). You can LABEL the Partition if you want. Windows will know where it is and what it is by the ID.

If you like videos this one on Creating a Recovery Partition is very good: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlNtLcFqfOo

Follow the directions EXACTLY.

PS: One person said the Windows Recovery Partition is always 4. This is not quite right, on my machines it is usually 4, but can be 3 or 7 or others, or it could be one of two Recovery Partitions (this is what my Win 11 machine has. and one of my Win 10 PCs). PS: Win 11 machine did this update with no trouble.

With my older MBR PC I did need to go back and ID the Partition with the SETID=27 command. Pretty sure most people who do all this stuff have to do the same thing.

Hi @Volume Z. I looked back and found a reference to 'critical considerations' when working on SSD, although I've seen several, just not gone back and found every one. On 14-Feb, page 11, Dave494 said...

For anyone else reading: it's very important to disable SSD over-provisioning on the OS drive using the SSD maker's tool or if you have Intel Optane (on the OS drive), make sure it's turned OFF (using the Intel app) before you resize the recovery partition to 1500 (1.5 GB), otherwise you will encounter problems or possibly data loss!

Please BACK UP important data saved on the Windows drive BEFORE YOU BEGIN, just in case.

You can re-enable Intel Optane or over-provisioning after resizing the partitions.

Follow the advice at your own risk.

Guess I need to check the controller for this SSD. I can see write caching is enabled, but guess I should research SSD over-provisioning and Intel Optane.

Optane may be the simple one: "a standalone memory device that is different from all the rest" and seems to sits as a 'L3' cache between processor and storage media, and doesn't seem to be an option on a Dell XPS 9360 (this laptop), so that's a pretty good lead to discount that one!

On the SS over-provisioning piece, Samsung publish quite a nice piece on SSD over-provisioning, 'wear-levelling' and some of the internal constraints of SS v magnetic media and explain: "This space (NAND flash to an over-provisioning space) can only be accessed by the SSD’s controller and not by the host" (lower part, page 2). They also publish 'Magician', a tool for reviewing and managing Samsung storage media. This includes a section for Over Provisioning, but it reports my PM981 NVMe 1TB drive isn't supported. Now off investigating any driver updates and the like. This update seems to be a wormhole that draws you ever in!