Windows 10 KB5021233 update crashes computers with a Blue Screen of Death error “0xc000021a”, according to various reports and Microsoft’s own statement.
This month’s security update KB5021233 causes some Windows 10 PCs to crash with Blue Screen of Death errors. Users have reported encountering the dreaded “blue screen of death” (BSOD) after installing the cumulative update. Microsoft later confirmed that a bug in the update is behind the problem.
KB5021233 is a mandatory security update and is being rolled out as part of the December 2022 Patch Tuesday cycle. Of course, there are no major changes as Microsoft focuses on developing Windows 11. However, this update has fixed several security loopholes in the operating system .
Unlike the previous updates, the December 2022 Update of Windows 10 also came with a number of non-security improvements. For example, this patch brings the search box to the taskbar when it’s at the top of your screen or when the small taskbar button feature is enabled. It also removed the Cortana shortcut from the taskbar.
Unfortunately, the Windows 10 December Cumulative Update is causing serious problems for some users, according to reports on the Feedback Hub.
“During the first reboot, BSOD appeared. Restarted. BSOD appeared again. Automated repair is not resolved. Did a system restore (“windows modules installer worker”) because the restore point option did not work. SFC did not work. The “chkdsk” did not work. “DISM” trying to undo actions, could not undo the actions, “one of the affected users noted.
“Automated Repair SrtTrail.txt gave me:” A recently serviced boot binary is corrupt. Finally, I have paused all updates for as long as possible until I get a response from Microsoft regarding the cause of this massive and catastrophic problem,” another user noted in a post on Feedback Hub.
In a updated documentation, Microsoft has finally confirmed that some devices may encounter “0xc000021a with a blue screen”. This is because the security update causes a discrepancy between the file versions of hidparse.sys in c:/windows/system32 and c:/windows/system32/driver.
As a result, driver signature validation may fail during a cleanup and Windows crashes with a blue screen.
How to fix 0xc000021a BSOD in KB5021233
Follow these steps to fix 0xc000021a BSOD caused by Windows 10 December 2022 Update:
- After several failed attempts to boot to the desktop, your device is in the Windows Recovery Environment.
- In the blue screen, select the Troubleshoot button.
- Select “Launch Recovery, Troubleshooting and Diagnostic Tools”.
- Select “Advanced options”.
- Select “Command Prompt”.
- Reboot your device (should happen automatically).
- You will see the Command Prompt window, but it will not appear until you log into your device with your password.
- Run the following command:
xcopy C:\windows\system32\drivers\hidparse.sys C:\windows\\system32\hidparse.sys
In the above command, you may need to replace “C” if Windows is installed on a different partition.
Once done, type: exit and select the “Continue” button. Your device will now reboot properly.
Users told us that the BSOD kicks in immediately after installing the Windows 10 December Update. The problem is believed to have been around since last week and Microsoft has only confirmed the reports this week.
It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time Windows 10 has had BSOD issues with its monthly cumulative updates.
