December update causes Windows 10 BSOD with 0xc000021a error

Microsoft has acknowledged that December update is causing BSOD issue in Windows 10. The update KB5021233 is making Windows 10 PCs fail with 0xc000021a error.

On its updated official Windows 10 known issues page, Microsoft has provided details about this issue. After installing KB5021233 update, some Windows devices might start up to an error (0xc000021a) with a blue screen. This issue impacts all current Windows 10 versions.

Microsoft has provided a workaround to mitigate the issue using Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE). Micrsoft is working on a resolution and will provide an update in an upcoming release.

You might receive an error (0xc000021a) with a blue screen

Status	Originating update	History
Mitigated	OS Build 19045.2364 KB5021233 2022-12-13	Last updated: 2022-12-17, 15:18 PT Opened: 2022-12-17, 15:18 PT

After installing KB5021233, some Windows devices might start up to an error (0xc000021a) with a blue screen. Technical note: 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), which might cause signature validation to fail when cleanup occurs.

Workaround: To mitigate this issue on devices already experiencing it, you will need to use Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) with the following steps:

1. ​You will need to enter Windows Recovery Environment. If your device has not automatically started up into WinRE, please see Entry points into WinRE.
2. ​Select the Troubleshoot button.
3. ​Select the “Start recovery, troubleshooting, and diagnostic tools” button.
4. ​Select the “Advanced Options” button.
5. ​Select the “Command Prompt” button and wait for your device to restart, if needed.
6. ​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.
7. ​Run the following command (Important: If Windows is not installed to C:\windows you will need to modify the command to your environment): xcopy C:\windows\system32\drivers\hidparse.sys C:\windows\\system32\hidparse.sys
8. ​Once the previous command completes, type: exit
9. ​Select the “Continue” button.
10. ​Windows should now start up as expected.

Important: It is not recommended to follow any other workaround than those recommended above. We do not recommend deleting the hidparse.sys from your Windows\System32 folder.

Next steps: We are working on a resolution and will provide an update in an upcoming release.