Microsoft resumes Windows Phone 7 updates to Samsung phones

Microsoft has resumed its Windows Phone 7 operating system update on Samsung phones, having halted the process last week following complaints about the software and reports of bricked handsets.

The update suffered from several problems, and Microsoft was forced to set up an information page with a list of 19 possible error codes.

Samsung phones appeared to have been the worst hit, but Microsoft developer Michael Stroh played down the issues in a blog post last week, explaining that they had affected only 10 per cent of users, and were the result of hardware and settings issues, rather than the software itself.

"Of the 10 per cent who did experience a problem, nearly half failed for two basic reasons: a bad internet connection or insufficient computer storage space. Luckily, both are easy to fix," he said.

Microsoft said that modifications had been made to the update, and that handset embargo has now finished. Stroh said in a new blog post on 2 February that Microsoft is resuming the update's rollout.

"Starting today, we plan to resume rolling out the February update to Samsung phones. Meanwhile, we're continuing to dispatch the update to other Windows Phone models," he said.

"As has been the case, the software patch is being sent out on a rolling schedule. You'll see a message on your phone when it's available."

Stroh added that the engineering team has fixed problems that prevented a small percentage of Windows Phones from installing the patch.

"We apologise again for the delay and continue looking for ways to improve the update process," he said.