KB5075999 is the February 10, 2026 cumulative security update for Windows Server 2016 and Windows 10 version 1607, including Enterprise LTSB 2016. It brings the OS to build 14393.8868.
For most people it installs and that is the end of it. But a significant number of administrators have reported that KB5075999 starts installing, appears to complete, and then fails on reboot with “We couldn’t complete the updates. Undoing changes” or “Update failed to apply, reverting changes.” The usual error codes are 0x80073712 and 0x80073701.
That failure pattern is not random. It almost always points to a damaged component store on an aging server — and it is fixable. Below are six fixes, ordered from least to most invasive.
⚠️ Before you start
KB5075999 is a security update. Do not respond to a failed install by hiding the update and moving on. A Server 2016 box that stops taking cumulative updates is a box that quietly accumulates unpatched vulnerabilities for months. Also: snapshot or back up the server before running repair commands, particularly if it is virtualised. DISM operations on a corrupted store occasionally make things worse before they make them better.
Table of Contents
- What KB5075999 actually contains
- Fix 1: Run SFC and DISM in the right order
- Fix 2: Install the servicing stack update first
- Fix 3: Read the CBS log instead of guessing
- Fix 4: Try a clean boot
- Fix 5: Install KB5075999 manually from the Update Catalog
- Fix 6: Reset Windows Update components
- When repair isn’t the answer
- FAQ
What KB5075999 Actually Contains
KB5075999 is a security-focused cumulative update. Its headline fix addresses a stability issue affecting certain GPU configurations, and it carries forward the fixes from the January 2026 release.
It also flags something with a hard deadline attached: Secure Boot certificates used by most Windows devices begin expiring in June 2026. Microsoft has been surfacing that warning across recent updates, and it affects the ability of devices to boot securely if the certificates are not refreshed in time. If you are patching a Server 2016 fleet, that is a project you want on the calendar, not a surprise.
The package is large — roughly 1.6 GB for the x64 Server 2016 build — which matters, because low disk space on the system volume is a common and frequently overlooked cause of KB5075999 install failures on servers that have been running for years.
Fix 1: Run SFC and DISM in the Right Order
Error 0x80073712 means a required component is missing or corrupt in the component store. That is what these two tools are for. Order matters:
sfc /scannow
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealthRun SFC first. If it reports corrupt files it could not repair, run DISM to pull clean replacements, then run SFC again. Reboot, then retry KB5075999.
A caveat worth knowing: on a badly damaged Server 2016 store, DISM sometimes fails with its own error (Error: 1734, The array bounds are invalid shows up repeatedly in real-world reports). If that happens, DISM cannot self-repair from the online source, and you need to point it at a known-good source — a mounted ISO of the same build — using the /Source parameter with /LimitAccess.
Fix 2: Install the Servicing Stack Update First
This one is easy to miss. Cumulative updates depend on the servicing stack — the component that actually installs updates. If the servicing stack is out of date, KB5075999 can fail in ways that look like corruption but are really just a sequencing problem.
Check whether the current servicing stack update for Server 2016 is installed before you retry. Install the SSU, reboot, then attempt KB5075999 again. On a server that has fallen several months behind, this alone resolves the failure surprisingly often.
Fix 3: Read the CBS Log Instead of Guessing
Everything above is generic advice. This is how you stop guessing.
Open C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log and search for the error code, or for the string SXS_ASSEMBLY_MISSING. The log names the exact package that is missing or broken. Once you have that package name, you are no longer troubleshooting KB5075999 in the abstract — you are fixing one identified component.
The log is long and dense. Search it; do not read it top to bottom.
Fix 4: Try a Clean Boot
This sounds too simple to matter, and it repeatedly works.
Multiple reports describe KB5075999 and its predecessors failing under normal boot but installing without complaint in a clean boot state — with third-party services and startup items disabled. The likely cause is resource contention or a service holding files the installer needs to replace. Antivirus and backup agents are the usual suspects.
Boot into a clean boot configuration, install KB5075999, reboot, then restore normal startup. If it succeeds, you have also learned something useful about your server: something in your third-party stack is interfering with patching, and it will do so again next month.
Fix 5: Install KB5075999 Manually From the Update Catalog
If Windows Update itself is the broken link — corrupt cache, WSUS metadata problems, Group Policy pinning a version — sidestep it entirely.
Download the standalone .msu package for KB5075999 from the Microsoft Update Catalog and install it offline. Match the architecture and the exact OS version, and make sure you have several gigabytes free on the system volume before you start.
Run it directly rather than through a deployment tool for the test. Some administrators have found that KB5075999 stalls indefinitely when pushed through automated patching wrappers using wusa.exe /quiet /norestart, while the same package installs cleanly when run interactively.
Fix 6: Reset Windows Update Components
If the manual install works but Windows Update still refuses to see or apply KB5075999 on its own, the update cache is the problem.
Stop the Windows Update and BITS services, rename or clear the SoftwareDistribution folder, restart the services, and check for updates again. This forces Windows to rebuild its update state from scratch. It is safe, it is reversible, and it clears a whole category of stale-cache failures.
When Repair Isn’t the Answer
Be honest about the machine you are working on. Windows Server 2016 is old. If a server has been failing cumulative updates for months — and many of the KB5075999 reports describe exactly that, a failure pattern going back four months or more — you are not dealing with one bad update. You are dealing with a component store that has been degrading for a long time.
At that point, the calculation changes. Hours spent nursing a Server 2016 component store back to health, every month, is not cheaper than migrating the workload. Server 2016 mainstream support has already ended, extended support is finite, and the Secure Boot certificate deadline in June 2026 adds another item to the list.
If the repair path fails, an in-place repair upgrade from a matching ISO is the last technical option. After that, the answer is migration.
FAQ About KB5075999
What build does KB5075999 install? OS Build 14393.8868, on Windows Server 2016 and Windows 10 version 1607 / LTSB 2016.
Why does KB5075999 say it installed, then revert on reboot? Because the actual installation happens during the reboot phase. If a component is missing from the store, the servicing stack detects it mid-install, cannot complete, and rolls back — hence “reverting changes.” The download and staging succeeded; the install did not.
Is 0x80073712 specific to KB5075999? No. It indicates component store corruption and can appear on any cumulative update. KB5075999 is simply where a lot of Server 2016 admins hit it, because the store had been quietly degrading for months beforehand.
Can I skip KB5075999? Not safely. It is a security update. If you cannot install it, fix the cause rather than deferring the update indefinitely.
Does KB5075999 apply to Windows Server 2019 or 2022? No. It targets Server 2016 and Windows 10 v1607. Server 2022’s January 2026 update was KB5073457, a different package with different known issues.
If the honest conclusion is that this Server 2016 box has reached the end of its useful life, Kymakers supplies genuine Windows Server 2022 and Windows Server 2025 licenses with instant delivery and activation support. Our Server 2019 end of life guide covers the lifecycle picture, and the download, install, and activate walkthrough covers the rest. Repair first — migrate when repair stops being worth the hours.
Official Microsoft reference: KB5075999 release notes
