Microsoft: These Windows 10 updates fix broken Visual Basic apps but not for 1903

Following last week’s Patch Tuesday updates, Microsoft has rolled out non-security cumulative updates for all versions of Windows 10 below version 1903. 

The updates for Windows 10 version 1809 through to 1607 all address a bug in the Patch Tuesday update that broke Visual Basic apps, macros, and scripts for some users. 

The issue affected all supported versions of Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and their corresponding server versions. 

Microsoft warned that apps built with Visual Basic 6 (VB6), macros using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), and scripts or apps using Visual Basic Scripting Edition (VBScript) may stop responding and display an ‘invalid procedure call error’ message. 

Microsoft says the issue with its three flavors of Visual Basic are fixed in Windows 10 updates that it released over the weekend.   

The Visual Basic issues could have made installing the Patch Tuesday update a difficult choice. Microsoft warned admins that the August Patch Tuesday addressed four remote code execution flaws that are similar to the wormable BlueKeep flaw, but also affect Windows 10. 

Microsoft said the bugs should be patched “as soon as possible”. So, while the weekend updates don’t include any security fixes, it’s likely Microsoft wanted to urgently remove any obstacles to installing the security update. 

The company also noted on Twitter that the issue had been resolved in updates for Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, and Windows Server 2008.

Microsoft hasn’t released a fix for Visual Basic on Windows 10 version 1903, but it has added a note that a “solution will be available in late August”. The update will be available through the Microsoft Update Catalog, Windows Update, Microsoft Update, and WSUS. 

The update for Windows version 1809 is a non-security update that include a host of bug fixes. The highlights are that it fixes a bug that prevented Windows Hello facial recognition from working after restarting a device, an issue when printing PDF documents in the Edge browser, and a bug affecting the ability of Edge and Internet Explorer to download copyrighted media content. 

Other notable fixes include a memory leak in dwm.exe that “may lead to a loss of functionality and cause a device to stop working”. 

There was also a now-fixed issue that “prevents an App-V application from opening and displays a network failure error” and a fix for a “rare issue that causes Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) to temporarily prevent other processes from accessing files”.

Microsoft lists four remaining known issues in this update and is currently investigating reports that “a small number of devices may start up to a black screen during the first logon after installing updates.”