We are all Windows users so let’s beat around the bush and admit that Microsoft ends up breaking more stuff than it actually fixes with some Patch Tuesday rollouts.

  • The December 2022 Patch Tuesday rollout brought with it a lot of nasty problems.
  • One of them affects various versions of Windows 10, including 22H2, 21H2, and 21H1.
  • Until the issue is dealt with, Microsoft has provided steps for a temporary workaround.

And, on that note, just know that the Redmond-based tech giant did it again this month, after the release of the December 2022 Patch Tuesday security updates.

If you aren’t up to speed yet, you might like to know that, out of the 52 new CVEs released by the company this month, 43 are rated Important, and three are rated Moderate in severity.

However, Windows 10 version 22H2 users are now facing some pretty nasty problems, and Microsoft has provided a sort of workaround.

Latest Patch Tuesday updates result in 0xc000021a errors

In theory, Patch Tuesday updates are generally released to deliver the latest security updates to Windows, sometimes they can cause issues as well.

Now, days after this month’s rollout, Microsoft says that the latest December Patch Tuesday KB5021233 cumulative update for Windows 10 22H2, 21H2, and 21H1, is breaking systems.

By that, we mean that it is actually producing a Blue Screen of Death (or BSOD) with the error code 0xc000021a on some systems due to a mismatch between HIDPARSE system files (hidparse.sys) in two different system directories.

On the health dashboard website, Microsoft explained that, after installing KB5021233, there might be a mismatch between the file versions of hidparse.sys in c:/windows/system32 and c:/windows/system32/drivers (assuming Windows is installed to your C: drive).

Of course, this situation might actually cause signature validation to fail when cleanup occurs, which will result in BSOD errors.

And, as you are probably used to by now, while the company works on permanently and safely fixing this problem, it has provided a workaround.

What can I do to fix the HIDPARSE issue on Windows 10 22H2?

The company said that, in order to mitigate this issue on devices already experiencing it, you will need to use Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) with the following steps.

  • Click the Start button, then choose Settings.
  • Select Update & Security, then Recovery.
  • Under Advanced Startup, click Restart now.
  • Select the Troubleshoot button.
  • Select the Start recovery, troubleshooting, and diagnostic tools button.
  • Select the Advanced Options button.
  • Select the Command Prompt button and wait for your device to restart, if needed.
  • Your device should restart to a Command Prompt window. You might need to sign into your device with your password before getting to the Command Prompt window.
  • Run the following command, then press Enter: xcopy C:\windows\system32\drivers\hidparse.sys C:\windows\system32\hidparse.sys
  • Once the previous command completes, type: exit
  • Select the Continue button.
  • Windows should now start up as expected.

Microsoft also specified that it is not recommended to follow any other workaround than those recommended above.

Furthermore, the tech giant does not recommend deleting the hidparse.sys from your Windows\System32 folder, as that would lead to further problems.

Make sure you also catch up on all the bugs present in the 22H2 version of Windows 11. Leave a comment below if you also had to deal with these problems.

If the advices above haven’t solved your issue, your PC may experience deeper Windows problems. We recommend downloading this PC Repair tool (rated Great on TrustPilot.com) to easily address them. After installation, simply click the Start Scan button and then press on Repair All.

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