Win 8.1 Update 1 install failures

KB2919355 — Windows failed to install the following update with error 0x8E5E03FA

There are many errors associated with failed Windows 8.1 Update 1

I was struggling with strange error code which turned no reference on any search engine. The event viewer throws up the error “Windows failed to install the following update with error 0x8E5E03FA. Update for Windows (KB2919355).”

After 3 days of painstaking search efforts, here are the solution:

The error “0x8E5E03FA” is due to an error “JET_errReadVerifyFailure” (as per the CBS.log).

The solution is simple (ensure you have backup), on a elevated command prompt (after agreeing to UAC prompt), run the following statements:

• net stop cryptsvc
• ren %systemroot%\system32\catroot2\edb.log *.tst
• net start cryptsvc
• exit

Now start the update.

Viola