Windows update KB5034441 failing to install - how to fix

[Steve]

On Tuesday this week, MS released update KB5034441 for Windows. On some systems it's failing to install, because the recovery partition is too small. There needs to be at least 250MB of free space on the recovery partition for the update to install. If there's not, the only way to fix it is to resize the partition, so here's how to easily do that.

1. Back up your stuff! You should have a backup anyway, but if you don't, back up your stuff before you start. The chances of anything going wrong during this process are tiny, but you should always be prepared for the worst!

2. Download and install the free version of AOMEI Partition Assistant (LINK).

3. Run the program and you'll see a screen like this: -

4. Click on your C partition, then click "Resize/Move Partition" on the right. A new window will open. Reduce the partition size by 0.25 GB, hit OK, then click the Apply button in the main toolbar and click through the prompts. Your PC will restart, AOMEI Partition Assistant will start up automatically, it will check your partitions, it will resize the C partition, then it will reboot the computer back into Windows.

5. When back in Windows, run AOMEI Partition Assistant again. This time, click on your recovery partition, then click "Resize/Move Partition". Increase the size of the partition by 0.25GB, hit OK, then click Apply. This time, the PC won't need to be restarted; the partition will be resized.

6. Restart your computer, then retry the failed update. It should now install correctly and tell you you're up to date.