March 14th Cumulative Update 3.99TB Windows Update Cleanup BUG!


  1. DrSysop
    Posts : 224
    Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64-bit Version 21H2 (10.019044))
       New #1

    KB4013429 March 14th Cumulative Update 3.99TB Windows Update BUG!


    Cumulative Update for Windows 10 Version 1607 (KB4013429)

    I noticed after recent update on all my windows 10 machines I do a disk cleanup & on the Windows Update Cleanup says 3.99TB of updates to clean up. I ran it fully took over 2 hrs & done & I rebooted the PC's & ran disk cleanup again & show 3.99TB again. Seems there is a bug or is there a fix to this? On one of my machines no restore point was made when I installed this update then i uninstalled the update & all is fine. The other I did a system restore & all good till that update goes through. I did a sfc /scannow & no issues. I Even went to C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download deleted all manually & still same.
    Last edited by DrSysop; 16 Mar 2017 at 10:37.
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  3. Cliff S
    Posts : 27,181
    Win11 Pro, Win10 Pro N, Win10 Home, Windows 8.1 Pro, Ubuntu
       New #2

    This isn't the first time, it's nothing to worry about>: Cleaning up 3.99TB space on a 100GB HDD?

    By the way you really should wait a couple of weeks before running Update Cleanup, in case you later find the update buggy, and want to uninstall it, and try again. Update Cleanup also deletes the uninstaller for the updates.
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  4. DrSysop
    Posts : 224
    Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64-bit Version 21H2 (10.019044))
    Thread Starter
       New #3

    I was searching & found out this is a issue & MicroCrap should check before releasing it. I checked on my friends & he is using home edition & seems to be ok it's on the Pro version.
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  6. Bree
    Posts : 31,616
    10 Home x64 (22H2) (10 Pro on 2nd pc)
       New #4

    DrSysop said:
    I checked on my friends & he is using home edition & seems to be ok it's on the Pro version.
    No, it happens on both Home and Pro, but not (well, not to the same extent) on the 32-bit version. I've even seen it once on x64 Win7.

    It's basic maths - Clean-up (and File Explorer) just add up the size of all files listed in the folders. If some of those files are hard links (multiple entries pointing to the same physical file) then they get counted each time they appear. To check every file to see if it's a hard link or not would make the process significantly slower - so MS don't.
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  7. DrSysop
    Posts : 224
    Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64-bit Version 21H2 (10.019044))
    Thread Starter
       New #5

    SOLVED!

    This is the fix for now till Microsoft releases a newer update.

    Uninstall KB4013429 in Programs and Features viewed installed updates
    Once it uninstalled reboot PC
    Run Disk Cleanup you will see the 3.99 TB gone & delete remaining & reboot
    Go to https://www.catalog.update.microsoft...px?q=KB4013429 select the right version etc 64 bit or 32 bit etc. Save to desktop.
    Install update from the file as it will take long time up to an hour or more as it's just over 1 GB in size.
    Reboot again & Once you done that reboot one more time.
    Now run Disk Cleanup check everything as you will see the 3.99 TB again. It will take over 2 hours as it will be stuck once you get to the end but don't stop it.
    When it's finished reboot again & then run Disk Cleanup after reboot & PRESTO! it's gone.

    I was on the phone with Microsoft for long time & this came from them. They do not know yet when the next update fix will be but you can hide it also & wait till next month but it has new security updates.
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  8. Bobby Phoenix
    Posts : 685
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
       New #6

    Other than it just showing 3.99TB is it doing anything to the system? I mean if it's just a bug, and my HDD is not showing full, then why bother "fixing" it if it's just a glitch? I don't run cleanup much, so I'm not worried if it shows as long as performance is not affected.
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  9. DrSysop
    Posts : 224
    Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64-bit Version 21H2 (10.019044))
    Thread Starter
       New #7

    Bobby Phoenix said:
    Other than it just showing 3.99TB is it doing anything to the system? I mean if it's just a bug, and my HDD is not showing full, then why bother "fixing" it if it's just a glitch? I don't run cleanup much, so I'm not worried if it shows as long as performance is not affected.
    Not really but Microsoft should of tested it but my other system so far showing it & no issues. If it's not bothering you then let it be but that's the fix for it if you want to do it. :)
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  10. Bree
    Posts : 31,616
    10 Home x64 (22H2) (10 Pro on 2nd pc)
       New #8

    Bobby Phoenix said:
    Other than it just showing 3.99TB is it doing anything to the system? I mean if it's just a bug...
    It's not even truly a bug. In one sense it's true - there are more than 3.99TB of ntfs file entries to be removed. It's just that most of them are hard links referencing the one physical file on the HDD. And that's why it takes so long to clean up, each of the hard links has to be deleted - the physical file will only be deleted when the last reference to it is removed from the file system.

    Hard links are used in the update store because the same file is often part of multiple patches. To store a separate copy in each patch would truly require that 3.99TB, hard links allow each patch's folder to 'contain' all the files it needs. Hard links save space, but lead to some confusing results when there are a lot of them.

    The bug here, if there is one, is why some cumulative updates seem to need to make so many hard links.
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