Possible issue with KB5083769: BITS/SOAP download timeouts and bitsadmin freeze

CHIHARU SHIBATA 15 Reputation points
2026-04-26T08:41:36.94+00:00

I would like to report a potential issue related to the April 2026 cumulative update (KB5083769).

After applying KB5083769, some PCs started experiencing failures in our application's auto-update download process.

Our application supports two download methods:

  • BITS (Background Intelligent Transfer Service)
  • SOAP Web Service

When the issue occurs, both methods fail. Specifically, the download requests time out regardless of which method is selected.

Additionally, during the failure state, we observe that the following command becomes unresponsive (appears to freeze):

bitsadmin /list /allusers

A system reboot temporarily resolves the issue. Immediately after restarting, downloads succeed. However, after leaving the system idle for some time (approximately several tens of minutes), the download failures reoccur.

After uninstalling KB5083769, the issue no longer occurs. Even after several hours, downloads continue to work normally.

Based on these observations, we suspect that KB5083769 may contain a defect affecting BITS or related networking components.

This behavior appears to be similar to previously reported issues:

We would appreciate any guidance or confirmation regarding this issue.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Windows update

8 answers

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  1. Bob 30 Reputation points
    2026-04-26T12:41:26.6133333+00:00

    I have 4 different (h/w and configuration) Win11 machines, all of which exhibit the exact same symptoms as above, which include.

    • Outlook Address Book download stalls.
    • Bitsadmin Powershell commands fail to get a response.
    • Shutdown is slow
    • Event log indicates that the BITS service isn't responding to a shutdown (at Shutdown) "The Background Intelligent Transfer Service service did not shut down properly after receiving a pre-shutdown control." Message started directly after KB5083769 install.
    • BITS Service is shown as running, but won't respond to Stop/Start etc. in Services tab.

    Repair install and Clean image on two machines failed to fix (and have "baked in" the issue, since KB5083769 is rolled-up in the latest Microsoft imaging download!).

    Uninstall of KB5083769 on one of the remaining (un-reimaged) machines immediately removed all the symptoms.

    Something in KB5083769 has "killed" the BITS Service.

    Tried to raise with MS Support with protracted diagnosis before escalation to tier 2, with a promise to update me. The Service Request has now been (arbitrarily) closed as "resolved", but with no notification to me at all. I'm going through hoops (so far unsuccessfuly) to get it re-opened or re-recorded.

    It is, at least, encouraging to see someone has exactly the same issues!

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  2. Jonty Mees 5 Reputation points
    2026-04-26T11:30:35.56+00:00

    I can confirm this is happening on my Windows 11 machine also.

    It causes Outlook to stop synching mail with Exchange on-premise and Microsoft 365 mailboxes, as it makes the offline address book download hang (which uses BITS)

    Uninstalling KB5083769 and rebooting resolves the issue.

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    4 people found this answer helpful.
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  3. Hart, Edgar 't 5 Reputation points
    2026-05-01T17:36:55.63+00:00

    These steps seemed to have solved the problem so far..

    • Disable network adapter
    • Reboot
    • Cmd.exe as "Administator"
      • bitsadmin /RESET /ALLUSERS
      • bitsadmin /LIST /ALLUSERS /VERBOSE
    • Enable network adapter
    • Reboot

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  4. AI answer

    2026-04-26T08:41:57.0533333+00:00

    KB5083769 is not mentioned in the available information, and there is no documented issue in the context that matches Windows 11 April 2026 cumulative update behavior, BITS timeouts, or bitsadmin freezing after idle time.

    However, there are some relevant points about BITS behavior and known issues in general that can help frame the situation and what to do next:

    1. BITS is a core Windows component used for background file transfers and is also used by other components such as Windows Update and Outlook OAB downloads. It is designed to handle interruptions and resume transfers automatically.
      • Overview and intended behavior are described in Background Intelligent Transfer Service documentation.
    2. When BITS is malfunctioning or its state becomes corrupted, symptoms can include:
      • Inability to download files using BITS-dependent components.
      • Crashes or hangs in processes interacting with BITS.
      • In older versions (e.g., Windows Vista), corruption of BITS state files could even stop the host process for Windows services and break Windows Update, requiring a repair tool or update to fix the corruption.
    3. There are known historical issues where BITS-related bugs were confirmed by Microsoft and fixed via updates, for example:
      • A BITS client resetting TCP connections on Windows 7/Windows Server 2008 R2.
      • Inability to download via BITS when using certificate-based authentication on Windows Server 2008/Windows Vista.
    4. For Outlook OAB downloads over HTTP(S), BITS policies and service state can directly affect download success. If BITS is throttled or stopped, downloads fail until configuration or service state is corrected.

    Given that:

    • The issue appears only after installing KB5083769.
    • Both BITS-based and SOAP-based downloads time out.
    • bitsadmin /list /allusers freezes during the failure state.
    • A reboot temporarily restores normal behavior, and uninstalling KB5083769 removes the problem.

    This pattern is consistent with a regression or defect in BITS or a related networking/service component introduced by that update, similar in nature (though not identical) to past BITS-related issues that were later acknowledged and fixed.

    Recommended next steps based on the patterns in the provided material:

    1. Collect and preserve diagnostics
      • Capture event logs (Application, System) around the time of the timeouts and bitsadmin freeze.
      • Note exact OS build, edition, and architecture, and confirm that the issue is reproducible only with KB5083769 installed.
      • Document the idle time before failure, and whether any sleep/modern standby or network changes occur in that window.
    2. Validate BITS service state and policies when the issue occurs
      • Confirm that the Background Intelligent Transfer Service is running when downloads fail (similar to the guidance for OAB downloads).
      • Check for BITS-related policies under: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\BITS and verify whether throttling or other constraints are being applied that might interact badly with the update.
    3. Use supported repair paths if system corruption is suspected
      • Past issues with BITS state corruption on older Windows versions required a repair tool or update; on current Windows versions, the supported approach for systemic update-related corruption is to perform an in-place repair/reinstall of the current Windows version using official guidance (reinstalling the current version of Windows while keeping files and apps). This has been used in other update-failure scenarios when SFC/DISM did not show problems.
    4. Engage official support channels
      • Because this appears to be a new regression tied to a specific cumulative update and affects core servicing components (BITS/networking), it should be escalated through official Microsoft support or the appropriate feedback channel for Windows updates, providing the diagnostics and reproduction steps above. Historical BITS issues in the context were confirmed and tracked by Microsoft in this way.

    Until an official fix or updated guidance is available, the only fully supported mitigations indicated by the patterns in the context are:

    • Uninstalling the problematic cumulative update (as already tested) where acceptable from a security/compliance standpoint, or
    • Reinstalling/repairing the current Windows version and then re-evaluating behavior with or without the update, under guidance from support.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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  5. M_Marl 9,870 Reputation points
    2026-05-07T11:34:18.93+00:00

    This is a machine translation by Copilot.

    The April 2026 security update introduced several internal changes to Windows.

    For example, Microsoft officially confirmed that some backup applications stopped working because the update added new protections to vulnerable kernel drivers:

    April 2026 Windows security updates introduce protections to known vulnerable kernel drivers

    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/april-2026-windows-security-updates-introduce-protections-to-known-vulnerable-kernel-drivers-1f8aaf7c-d4ac-4e02-be1d-b63c1b1aa9d0

    Key points from the article:

    After installing Windows updates released on or after April 14, 2026, certain third-party backup applications that rely on the kernel driver psmounterex.sys might experience failures when attempting to mount or manage disk images.

    What should I expect going forward? The psmounterex.sys driver will remain on the Microsoft vulnerable driver blocklist. Applications that depend on this driver will continue to experience failures until they are updated to a newer version that includes the required protections. If your backup software relies on this driver, update your backup software. Contact your application vendor if you are unsure whether your version is affected.

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