Hey Julien — sorry you’re hitting this loop. Based on what you described, Windows Update keeps retrying KB5094125 but fails with HRESULT 0x80073712, and the failure comes back quickly after reboot even though you already cleared the Windows Update cache.

Below are the most relevant Azure VM / Windows Update troubleshooting steps to try next (in a sensible order for Azure):

1) Confirm basic VM + servicing prerequisites

Make sure the VM is actually running (not stopped/deallocated) since patching/install orchestration won’t proceed correctly otherwise.

• Check power state:

az vm show --resource-group <rg> --name <vm> --query "powerState"

• Start if needed:

az vm start --resource-group <rg> --name <vm>

2) Validate outbound network access to Microsoft update endpoints

This is a very common cause of recurring Windows Update failures on Azure VMs—especially when NSGs / UDRs / Azure Firewall / proxy policies restrict outbound traffic.

From the VM, test connectivity (example pattern):

Test-NetConnection windowsupdate.microsoft.com -Port 443

Also verify that outbound rules allow Windows Update / Microsoft update endpoints (the key requirement is outbound access is not blocked).

3) Reset the Windows Update servicing stack (Azure VM tool)

Since you already cleaned the cache, the next step is to reset the servicing stack components, not just the download cache.

Use the Azure Virtual Machine Windows Update Reset Tool:

• In Azure portal: VM → Operations > Run command
• Run Windows_Update_Reset
• Then retry installing KB5094125

4) Repair the Windows servicing stack with DISM (on the VM)

If the reset doesn’t fully address it, run the servicing repair commands:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Then retry the update.

5) Check dependent update services (wuauserv + BITS)

Restart/update the key services used by Windows Update:

net stop wuauserv

net start wuauserv

net stop bits

net start bits

6) Review update logs for the underlying reason

To avoid guessing, check the Windows logs for the specific failure details tied to the error.

Look at:

• C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log
• C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CbsPersist_*.log

If you find a more specific message around the time KB5094125 fails, that usually points to the exact corrupted/missing component.

7) Validate Azure Guest Agent health (especially for Azure-managed patch flows)

If you’re using Azure-managed patching (or features that rely on guest extensions), the Azure Guest Agent must be running.

Restart it:

net stop WindowsAzureGuestAgent

net start WindowsAzureGuestAgent

8) Run an Azure patch assessment / reinstall attempt (if you’re using Azure Update mechanisms)

If this is part of Azure Update / guest patching, use patch assessment and then install:

• Assess:

az vm assess-patches --resource-group <rg> --name <vm>

• Install patches (example):

az vm install-patches --resource-group <rg> --name <vm> --maximum-duration PT2H --reboot-setting IfRequired --classifications-to-include-win Critical Security

And verify patch status afterward:

az vm list-patch-status --resource-group <rg> --name <vm>

Follow-up questions (to narrow down quickly)

1. Is the VM patching happening via Windows Update in the OS, or via Azure Automatic VM guest patching / Update Manager?
2. Does the VM have direct outbound internet access, or is outbound traffic forced through Azure Firewall / proxy / restricted by NSGs/UDRs?
3. What do you see in C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log around the timestamp when KB5094125 fails (any “missing files” / “servicing stack” / component store errors)?
4. Have you checked available disk space (system drive and Windows temp areas)?
5. Are other updates failing too, or only KB5094125?

Reference list (all relevant documentation from the provided materials)

• Resolve update issues for Windows Virtual Machines in Azure (includes Windows Update reset tool, DISM repair, service restarts, logs, guest agent checks): https://learn.microsoft.com/troubleshoot/azure/virtual-machines/windows/windows-vm-wureset-tool
• Cannot Update VMs with Windows Update (network egress / NSG / Azure Firewall / WSUS considerations): https://supportabilityhub.microsoft.com/solutions/apollosolutions/166a9330-13e8-1173-8808-55f87c6284b6/apollo-vnet-mgmt-cannotupdatevmswithwindowsupdate
• Troubleshoot issues with Azure Automatic VM guest patching (guest patching failure causes + guest agent + connectivity + logs): https://supportabilityhub.microsoft.com/solutions/apollosolutions/95bc1151-aabb-e35b-f91a-1b699d0bfa9a/83f1319e-12e4-4d73-94d4-4d66af8cd80e
• Azure VM Windows Update installation capacity / troubleshooting unresponsive updates (tooling and related context): https://learn.microsoft.com/troubleshoot/azure/virtual-machines/windows/windows-update-installation-capacity
• Azure Virtual Machine (VM) Windows Update Error Detection / Reset / OS upgrade assessment tools (context for diagnosing update problems): https://learn.microsoft.com/troubleshoot/azure/virtual-machines/windows/windows-vm-wureset-tool https://learn.microsoft.com/troubleshoot/azure/virtual-machines/windows/windows-vm-ipu-tool https://learn.microsoft.com/troubleshoot/azure/virtual-machines/windows/windows-vm-osupgradeassessment-tool

Note: This content was drafted with the help of an AI system. Please verify the information before relying on it for decision-making.