I have four different physical servers that just won't boot after the recent January 2026 update. The servers are from various Dell models, and it has been quite stressful. I've tried running the DISM command to clean up and revert pending actions, but it hasn't resolved the issue. I can still see the data volume in the repair command prompt, so it's not a hardware failure. The boot file appears to be intact as well. I've consulted the Dell support page for guidance, but nothing has worked out so far. I'm wondering if anyone else is facing this issue, especially since it seems to only affect physical hosts while virtual machines are functioning normally. For one of the hosts, I was able to quickly reinstall Server 2022, but the others are more of a challenge. Has anyone found a solution?
4 Answers
Do you happen to know which specific update caused the issue? It's worth checking if you have anything in common with other systems like RMM or backup tools. It's possible that KB5073722 is the culprit since it seems related to systems like yours that are using Dell hardware.
It's frustrating, right? Microsoft just keeps pushing updates without clear solutions. You try to update, but it feels like they just say 'good luck' after that.
I haven't seen this issue in my environment. You might want to look into using Microsoft DaRT or Bluecon—these are both Windows PE tools that can help uninstall hotfixes. Alternatively, try running DISM from WinPE or WinRE to see if you can get it fixed directly from there.
I tried DISM, but it's showing some updates as 'uninstall pending' and failing to remove them. I'll definitely give MS DaRT a shot, though! I've read that it might be helpful.
Just a heads-up, I no longer have access to MS DaRT, and Bluecon can be quite pricey if you're not already set up with it.
It sounds like you're running into a known problem with that update. There's an Out-Of-Band (OOB) patch available that might help, but it's tough to apply since the servers won't boot up.
Yeah, that's the issue—there's no way to patch if the system won't even boot.
Definitely KB5073722. We're using the same RMM, but the standalone physicals have a different backup tool than the HyperV machines. The affected models include the Dell PE R430, T430, T330, and R440. I've already disabled updates on these machines since they are critical servers.