NICEVILLE, Fla. — This week’s It’s Geek To Me column by Jeff Werner takes a question from a Fort Walton Beach reader struggling to enroll Windows 10 in Microsoft’s Extended Security Updates program after end-of-life.
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QUESTION:
Tom L. from Fort Walton Beach, Florida, writes:
Even before the cutoff date for end of support for Win10, when I go to update and security, it tells me “Something went wrong, check back later.” Now that it’s after the cutoff date, I can’t figure out how to enroll in any option for ESU. Frustration growing… Definitely miss your articles!
ANSWER:
Jeff Werner responds:
Thanks for writing in, Tom. Let me start by saying that you need not miss my articles. Despite the local Florida panhandle newspaper’s questionable decision to drop all the local talent from their publications, the column is still being produced every week and is always available on my website. It has also found new homes on several online platforms, including Niceville.com.
But I’ll tell you what I definitely miss: I miss the quantity of reader submissions that I used to enjoy. Things have slowed to a trickle, often leaving me without any questions to answer. So, readers, I again encourage you to gather up your questions and hit my website to submit them! They are the fuel that keeps the wheels turning here at It’s Geek To Me.
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Okay, Tom, down to business. First of all, for your fellow readers who might be living under a rock or are otherwise under-informed, I feel the need to explain what you’re asking about and the terminology you used. As everybody should know, Microsoft declared that Windows 10 reached end of life on October 14, 2025.
This confusing term does not mean that it stops working, but rather Microsoft will no longer provide free updates and patches for that version. Then, they offered enrollment in Extended Security Updates, or ESU. This pay-for-play option runs for a year and must be renewed annually. ESU is currently set to end in October 2028.
So, Tom, from your submission, it seems like you are able to find and activate the ESU enrollment, but the process is failing to complete, with the completely unhelpful message “Something went wrong.” Something? Thanks, Bill!
Well, it seems that Microsoft has acknowledged an error in the ESU enrollment wizard that was preventing certain eligible Windows 10 devices from joining the program. One would think they could detect this problem through Windows Update, but instead, they pushed an out-of-band update that’s intended to fix the component of the ESU enrollment process that is causing problem. This update, known as KB5071959 is available at TinyURL.com/IGTM-0959.
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As stated in the above-referenced article, before installing KB5071959, you should make sure Windows Servicing Stack Update, or SSU is up to date. If it’s not current, Windows Update might fail to find critical updates, including KB5071959 even after you enroll in the ESU. SSU updates are generally included in the “cumulative” updates that Microsoft periodically releases.
Click the links in the article to learn more about SSU and its importance in keeping updates properly flowing to your PC. After installing the above-mentioned update, you should be able to proceed with ESU enrollment. In the unlikely event that it still fails, you might not have certain account-related features enabled that are required for ESU enrollment.
For example, you should be logged-in with a registered Microsoft account, and not with locally created account credentials. This is required so that Microsoft can verify your, and your device’s eligibility to enroll in the ESU. Certain account-related services must also be running, such as Microsoft Account Sign-in Assistant, and Credential Manager.
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You can verify these are running by performing the following steps: Press [WinKey]+R and type “Services.msc” in the Run box, and press [Enter]. The Services dialog appears and contains a list of the services on the system, and whether they are currently running. Find the ones listed above one at a time. Right-click them and select “Properties”.
Set the “Startup Type” to “Automatic – Delayed Start”. If the service is currently stopped, click “Start”. Restart your PC and try launching the ESU enrollment again. One other thing I’ve read about that might cause ESU enrollment failures is the presence of school or work accounts on the PC, even ones that are no longer in use.
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ESU is intended for home use only, and if such accounts are detected by the enrollment wizard, it might interpret that as an indication that your PC is a managed, or enterprise device, not eligible for participation in ESU. Removing these accounts will ensure the wizard recognizes your device as a personal home PC and allows enrollment to proceed.
To view additional content, comment on articles, or submit a question, visit my website at ItsGeekToMe.co (not .com!)
Jeff Werner, a software engineer based in Niceville, Florida, has been writing his popular “It’s Geek to Me” tech column since 2007. He shares his expertise to help readers solve everyday tech challenges.
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