Well, Microsoft released the April Updates package a few days ago and, unfortunately, some folks have had problems getting it installed on their Surface Book or SP4.
And when I say problems, I mean that their Surfaces are blue-screening (BSOD) during the install of the update package and displaying 0x800f0203 as the error code…. sigh.
On the plus side, few people are losing any data as a result of the blue screens, it just prevents the April Updates from fully installing.
It’s a shame too because this update supposedly finally fixing the remaining “Sleep of Death” issues where SP4’s and Surface Book’s are draining their battery during sleep (although, early reports on reddit seem to indicate it didn’t work anyway).
However, all is not lost. It turns out the problem is a relatively simple issue with the Windows Driver store which can be fixed.
April Updates Cause 0x800f0203 Error: April Updates
So, before we get into how to fix this problem, let’s look at the details for the firmware/patches included in the April Updates for the Surface Book, SP4, and SP3. That way, you’ll have a better idea how extensive the updates are this month.
Surface Book
- Microsoft driver update for Surface Embedded Controller Firmware
- Microsoft driver update for Surface System Aggregator Firmware
- Microsoft driver update for Surface UEFI
- Intel Corporation driver update for Intel HD Graphics 520
- Intel Corporation driver update for Intel Display Audio
- Intel Corporation driver update for Intel AVStream Camera 2500
- Intel Corporation driver update for Intel Control Logic
- Intel Corporation driver update for Intel CSI2 Host Controller
- Intel driver update for Intel Imaging Signal Processor 2500
- Intel Corporation driver update for Microsoft Camera Front
- Intel Corporation driver update for Microsoft Camera Rear
- Intel Corporation driver update for Microsoft IR Camera Front
- Microsoft driver update for Surface Camera Windows Hello
- Microsoft driver update for Surface CoSar
- Microsoft driver update for Surface Dock Integration
- Microsoft driver update for Surface Dock Firmware Update
- Surface Embedded Controller Firmware update (v103.1122.256.0) adjustments to system thermal tuning.
- Surface System Aggregator Firmware update (v103.1135.257.0) addresses a case where after you resume the Surface Pro 4 device from hibernation and detach the cover, the auto-rotate feature does not work.
- Surface UEFI update (v104.1121.768.0) addresses screen flickering in Microsoft Edge and other applications. Intel HD Graphics 520 driver update (v20.19.15.4409) improves the overall stability of the graphics driver, resolves screen flickering in several popular applications, and cases where the display does not reinitialize correctly after the device resumes from sleep or hibernation.
- Intel Display Audio driver update (v8.20.0.865) supports compatibility with the updated HD Graphics Family driver. Surface Camera drivers set (v30.10586.7035.1976) improves Windows Hello stability.
- Intel AVStream Camera 2500 driver update (v30.10586.7035.1976)
- Intel Control Logic driver update (v30.10586.7035.1976)
- Intel CSI2 Host Controller driver update (v30.10586.7035.1976)
- Intel Imaging Signal Processor 2500 driver update (v30.10586.7035.1976)
- Microsoft Camera Front driver update (v30.10586.7035.1976)
- Microsoft Camera Rear driver update (v30.10586.7035.1976)
- Microsoft IR Camera Front driver update (v30.10586.7035.1976)
- Surface Camera Windows Hello driver update (v1.0.45.0) improves Windows Hello stability.
- Surface CoSAR driver update (v1.0.47.0) adds support for additional Wi-Fi signal algorithms to improve signal strength with some 5-GHz access points.
- Surface Dock Integration driver update (v1.0.6.0) improves stability and compatibility with external monitors and passive video adapters.
- Surface Dock Firmware Update driver update (v1.2.6.0) improves stability and compatibility with external monitors and passive video adapters.
Surface Pro 4
- Microsoft driver update for Surface Embedded Controller Firmware
- Microsoft driver update for Surface System Aggregator Firmware
- Microsoft driver update for Surface UEFI
- Intel Corporation driver update for Intel HD Graphics 520
- Intel Corporation driver update for Intel Display Audio
- Intel Corporation driver update for Intel AVStream Camera 2500
- Intel Corporation driver update for Intel Control Logic
- Intel Corporation driver update for Intel CSI2 Host Controller
- Intel driver update for Intel Imaging Signal Processor 2500
- Intel Corporation driver update for Microsoft Camera Front
- Intel Corporation driver update for Microsoft Camera Rear
- Intel Corporation driver update for Microsoft IR Camera Front
- Microsoft driver update for Surface Camera Windows Hello
- Microsoft driver update for Surface CoSar
- Microsoft driver update for Surface Dock Integration
- Microsoft driver update for Surface Dock Firmware Update
- Surface Embedded Controller Firmware update (v103.1122.256.0) adjustments to system thermal tuning.
- Surface System Aggregator Firmware update (v103.1135.257.0) addresses a case where after you resume the Surface Pro 4 device from hibernation and detach the cover, the auto-rotate feature does not work.
- Surface UEFI update (v104.1121.768.0) addresses screen flickering in Microsoft Edge and other applications. Intel HD Graphics 520 driver update (v20.19.15.4409) improves the overall stability of the graphics driver, resolves screen flickering in several popular applications, and cases where the display does not reinitialize correctly after the device resumes from sleep or hibernation.
- Intel Display Audio driver update (v8.20.0.865) supports compatibility with the updated HD Graphics Family driver.
- Surface Camera drivers set (v30.10586.7035.1976) improves Windows Hello stability.
- Intel AVStream Camera 2500 driver update (v30.10586.7035.1976)
- Intel Control Logic driver update (v30.10586.7035.1976)
- Intel CSI2 Host Controller driver update (v30.10586.7035.1976)
- Intel Imaging Signal Processor 2500 driver update (v30.10586.7035.1976)
- Microsoft Camera Front driver update (v30.10586.7035.1976)
- Microsoft Camera Rear driver update (v30.10586.7035.1976)
- Microsoft IR Camera Front driver update (v30.10586.7035.1976)
- Surface Camera Windows Hello driver update (v1.0.45.0) improves Windows Hello stability.
- Surface CoSAR driver update (v1.0.47.0) adds support for additional Wi-Fi signal algorithms to improve signal strength with some 5-GHz access points.
- Surface Dock Integration driver update (v1.0.6.0) improves stability and compatibility with external monitors and passive video adapters.
- Surface Dock Firmware Update driver update (v1.2.6.0) improves stability and compatibility with external monitors and passive video adapters.
Surface Pro 3
Microsoft’s slightly older Surface Pro model also got a smaller set of updates. All of the updates were related to Surface Dock.
- Microsoft driver update for Surface Dock Firmware Update
- Microsoft driver update for Surface Dock Integration
- Surface Dock Integration driver update (v1.0.6.0) improves stability and compatibility with external monitors and passive video adapters.
- Surface Dock Firmware Update (v.1.2.6.0) improves stability and compatibility with external monitors and passive video adapters.
As you can see, the Surface Book and SP4 both got a huge list of updates so, it might not be so surprising that some folks have seen errors with the install of the update package.
April Updates Cause 0x800f0203 Error: How To Fix It
OK, now that you know how many updates were supposed to be installed, let’s talk about preventing the BSOD, so that you can get all of your updates installed. To do so, you’ll need a little bit of computer knowledge and the willingness to edit some files. If you have those qualities, you can probably resolve the problem(s) and get the updates installed correctly within a few minutes.
If you don’t feel comfortable tracking down and altering a few text files, you might want to simply alter your Windows Update settings to prevent the updates from trying to install for a while. Microsoft will undoubtedly issue an updated package (no pun) to resolve the problems causing the BSODs, as soon as possible.
Follow these steps to fix the BSOD issues:
- Login with admin rights.
- Backup your data (just in case).
- Open the setupapi.dev.log logfile. It will be located in the c:\windows\inf folder.
- Find the error “Failed to install device instance” from your latest retry. The entries are time stamped.
- Above this error it will say which file caused the problem. The file will always have a .INF extension. As an example, let’s say it’s the “oem90.inf” that is causing the problem (in addition, it seems to be the most common file causing the issues).
- Run “pnputil -d <Problem File Name>” from an elevated command prompt. In this example, it would be “pnputil -d oem90.inf” (no quotes).
- Manually re-run windows update and the update should run correctly.
If it does not, repeat this process because it’s possible that you have multiple files within the updates that need “fixing” in the driver store. That said, if you have to fix more than 3 files, you might be better off resetting your Surface as there is probably a bigger problem at play.
In the interest of credit where credit is due, this reddit thread is where I first learned about the 0x800f0203 BSOD problem and the potential fix for it.
Tim
