Can't run some programs. Recent update is suspect

I recently (Sept 14th) ran Windows update to get the latest cumulative updates. Since then, I can't start the following programs

BlueStacks android emulator - opens with error
BlueStacks installer - starts (shows in task manager) then exits with no window, or notification
Logitech Options - same as bluestacks installer
Logitech Options installer - same as bluestacks installer
Age of Empires II (2013) (This one is suspected as a symptom, but not verified) - opens, then crashes to desktop

All of these items worked fine as recently as Sept 9th. If I switch to the only other admin user account on the PC, the first 4 run with no issues. AoE II is on Steam, and I didn't login my Steam account on that user, hence not verified.

As a potential solution, I tried to run system restore to a date before the updates, and received the two following errors:
0x8007045b (When run from Windows desktop)
0x8007007e (When run from Windows RE)

My user folders (eg Documents, Download, Music, Videos, etc) are all junctioned to a different drive using mklink, so creating a new account, and switching everything over would be an annoyance that I'd like to prevent, if I can.

Any help on fixing the corruption, and/or getting system restore to actually work would be awesome! (System restore is unimportant, if main issue can be resolved)

troubleshooting steps tried so far:
*simple reboot - of course this didn't work
*chkdsk /f (all drives) - No issues found
*sfc /scannow - Found issues, but could not repair
*dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth - completed successfully
*another sfc /scannow - found, and repaired corrupted files, but didn't resolve the issues
*tested executables from another admin account - Ran fine
*Attempted System restore from in Windows - See errors above
*Attempted system restore from widnows RE - See errors above
*Scans with malwarebytes - nothing found
*Scans with Comodo antivirus - nothing actually malicious found (It always finds my remote access software.)

Are you getting any errors in the Event Viewer?

jasoncollege24 said:

@dalchina I knew you'd say that about system restore... I've never had any kind of positive experience with system restore... ever.

Also, you are a life saver! I was able to uninstall 3/4 of the updates that were installed on the 14th, then restarted, telling WUMT to set updates to notify, instead of automatic.

Uninstallation of those, and a restart resolved the problem immediately! I'll reinstall them one at a time to see which one caused it, and then remove the offending one, and hide/block it from future updates.

As for how updates are installed, do you recommend any specific setting? (as opposed to Notify?)
@pbcopter yes i had errors in event viewer for each instance of app failure that pointed to d3d9.dll, but I knew directx 9 was not the cause, because they ran fine in another user.

Edit: I see this site doesn't like pasting text from notepad. Turns it into one big block of text. lol

For the failures that indicated d3d9.dll, I took d3d9.dll from the previous build and placed it in the folder where the failed program's executable resides. This allowed the program to work properly for me. Just my experience.

This occurred for NordVPN and Logioptions and adding the older d3d9.dll fixed the issue. I can only hope that Microsoft or the software vendors will resolve this in the near future.

@dalchina I haven't had a chance to mess with it yet, so haven't isolated the particular update. I use feedback hub kinda often, so this will definitely go there, once I isolate the specific update.

@pbcopter I have multiple valid copies of directx9 offline installers saved on an external hard drive (each one including previous updates). I reinstalled it, before taking the advice of uninstalling updates, and that didn't resolve the issue.

pbcopter said:

For the failures that indicated d3d9.dll, I took d3d9.dll from the previous build and placed it in the folder where the failed program's executable resides. This allowed the program to work properly for me. Just my experience.

You're saying you did this, after the recent updates caused similar problems for you, and it resolved it? How is this different than than reinstalling DirectX 9?

- - - Updated - - -

Looks like it was the Cumulative update for Windows (KB4515384) that caused this problem. All other updates work as intended.

I've just provided feedback on the feedback hub, adding to a post where someone else nailed the d3d9.dll issue. They included a short list of programs/apps that failed to launch, or otherwise crashed because of d3d9.dll.

In my feedback, I added mine to the list, and allowed MS to record, and take diagnostics, as I reproduced the crashes. Hopefully they will be able to get this handled in quick fashion.

If this happens to others after these recent updates, that KB listed above is the one to remove. :)

Edit: oh and as far as the text formatting issue I'm having when pasting from notepad, it's actually notepad++ but still not sure why it's having that issue. Enter is set to add CR/LF (the way Windows does in notepad)

Looks like it's not entirely resolved... After figuring out which update caused it, i uninstalled the update, and rebooted. Now any tie I click on my Start button, i get a critical error stating my start menu isn't working, and that windows will try to fix it on next sign in. I sign out, and back in, and still same error on all my user accounts. A full reboot didn't resolve it either.

I've turned windows updates back on, and letting it update again. After that, i will try removing that update, and hide it to see if that fixes it... Unless you have other ideas?