Error 0xC1900101 – 0x40017 when installing Windows 8.1

Anonymous

Hello everyone,

We would like to thank all those who have helped us to collect data by sending us logs. The cause for error 0xC1900101 – 0x40017 is known to be faulty drivers, however it can be difficult to identify exactly which drivers are creating the error.

Note: Please double-check the error code before reading further. There are many variations of error 0xC1900101, each with a different location code -- the error extension, located after the dash. The information in this thread is intended only for location code 0x40017. If you are receiving a different location code, these steps are unlikely to resolve your issue.

There have been reports of a USB driver causing this error. Until a specific USB driver can be determined as a root cause, if you receive this error, we recommend you unplug all USB devices (other than your mouse and keyboard) as a troubleshooting step and try the upgrade again. If the upgrade is then successful, you can plug the devices back in and they should function normally.

We have identified a few drivers associated with the following hardware or software that could be causing this problem:

1. SteelSeries – Mouse and keyboard manufacture. The SteelSeries Engine is currently not supported on Windows 8.1. Please see their FAQ for more info and updates.

2. NVIDIA -- Video card manufacture. Check to make sure you’ve upgraded to the latest video drivers.

3. ESET - Antivirus and security-related products. Please see the ESET Knowledgebase to learn how to safely upgrade to Windows 8.1 with ESET Smart Security or ESET NOD32 Antivirus installed.

4. Trusteer Rapport -- Credit card fraud protection software. Trusteer recommends installing the latest update for Windows 8.1 compatibility.

If you have any of these programs installed, please let us know if disabling, uninstalling, or upgrading the software or drivers allowed you to install Windows 8.1 successfully.

We are sorry for any inconvenience and appreciate your help and understanding while we continue to investigate this issue.

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Anonymous

Hello,

Microsoft is aware some customers are unable to install Windows 8.1 due to error 0xC1900101 -0x40017.

This error indicates a failure to boot Windows 8.1 occurred during the final parts of the update, causing the system to roll back to Windows 8. The most likely cause of this error is an incompatible driver or hardware defect. Unfortunately, due to the timing of this failure, there are often no logs, crash dumps or other diagnostic information available to investigate the issue easily, which makes it difficult to determine which, if any, of the drivers or system components are causing the update to fail.

We are currently working with the companies that develop these drivers to help them update their problematic drivers whenever they are identified. Some of the identified drivers have been listed in the original post, however due to the sheer number of drivers constantly being created by other companies all over the world, this is a daunting task. We understand that the inability to easily identify the incompatible driver can be incredibly frustrating and we are sorry for the inconvenience.

Make sure you’ve installed all the latest Windows Updates and latest drivers from your hardware and software manufacturers. You can also try uninstalling any unnecessary hardware or software prior to updating to Windows 8.1.

If your hardware and software manufacturers do not have updated drivers and you are experiencing this error, the best method for upgrading to Windows 8.1 is to clean install Windows 8, and then update to Windows 8.1 before allowing any additional drivers or software to install.

To do this:

Back up all of your personal documents and data to an external drive.
Disconnect your computer from the Internet.
Perform a clean install of Windows 8 using Windows 8 installation media (DVD or USB). For help performing a clean install of Windows, see How to perform a clean install of Windows.

Note: If you do not have media and Windows 8 was pre-installed on your PC, please contact your PC manufacturer for assistance. Otherwise to get help obtaining installation media, contact Microsoft Support. 4. Once you’ve reinstalled Windows 8, change your hardware settings so that you do not automatically install driver updates.

**>>**From the Start screen, type “System”, and then click on “View advanced system settings” in the search results. This will open the System Properties dialog.

**>>**Click on the Hardware tab, and then click Device Installation Settings.

**>>**When the Device Installation Settings window appears, click the “No, let me choose what to” button, and then “Never install driver software from Windows Update”. Click Save Changes to save the setting. 5. Reconnect your computer to the Internet. 6. Install Windows Updates. Restart the computer when prompted. 7. Open Windows Store and install Windows 8.1. 8. Afterwards, be sure to restore your hardware settings so that your device drivers once again install automatically. (Repeat Step 4, but restore this setting to “**Yes, do this automatically (recommended)”**and Save changes.)

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149 additional answers

Anonymous

2017-10-08T20:55:28+00:00

I have recently installed Office 2016.

I have got a notofication update fault code 0xc1900208 which stated I should contact you.

Please advise

Try to do a repair install from within Office. Then try to update again. If that does not work, completely remove Office, and then reinstall it.
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Anonymous

2017-10-06T16:56:00+00:00

I have recently installed Office 2016.

I have got a notofication update fault code 0xc1900208 which stated I should contact you.

Please advise
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Anonymous

2015-11-30T23:20:24+00:00

I guess Microsoft should have had this figured out before they rushed to launch an update that won't work with their own software. I did not install the Nvidia driver on my machine. If they know they are trouble perhaps they should recommend against using them or produce their own or require that they go through a process to become acceptable Microsoft products the way Apple does. At this point, my next computer will be an Apple.

They knew it could happen, and so did the software suppliers who create the drivers. Unfortunately, the driver writers did not want to work on something that might not work later down the line until the code was finalized. HP does that all the time. They often wait a few months before they release a new driver for a new version of Windows. Microsoft also does have a certification program for drivers and software. That doesn't automatically remove the older drivers and software from the system. It is the older drivers that cause the problems, and many people forget to remove them completely. If Microsoft tried to set up code that auto-removed all drivers they would get an earful from people over that.

And, if you think Apple software and hardware will solve that problem, good luck with that. Why not make a visit to the Apple support websites to see the kinds of problems with drivers that happen after an OS upgrade? You will see all sorts of problems ranging from webcams, networking, Garage Band, and, yes, even Apple hardware of various types that stop working properly after an upgrade. I myself was hit with the bugs that prevented Bonjour products from communicating properly with the Mac OS and software, as well as the one that rendered my webcam unusable.

I myself several years ago was affected by an Apple update that rendered networking impossible until they released a patch to fix it, and I had to use a PC to download it so I could put it on a disk and update my Mac from that! I also was affected by each and every upgrade in the video card department. Why? I had to use non-apple hardware because my video card stopped working and I couldn't afford an Apple-branded video card (Apple hardware is often up to triple the cost of a PC component even if the specs were the same). I had to tweak certain files just to get video card working properly, and every single upgrade to the OS would wipe out my changes. That no longer is a problem these days but I still remember well the issues and the frustration. I recall recently when an upgrade from Mavericks to El Capitan rendered my scanner and printer useless. And, there are many more experiences that I could mention. Remember my words when one day you perform an OS upgrade on your shiny, new, Apple Mac and suddenly have serious problems with either the OS or your hardware and/or software.

Moral of the story: No OS is free from problems. I know. I have experienced quite a few nightmarish happenstances on Windows, Mac OS, Mac OS X, Sun (now Oracle) Solaris, Ubuntu, and on Linux distributions such as Red Hat, Ubuntu, Fedora, Scientific Linux, Caldera Linux, Debian, and a whole lot more.
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Anonymous

2015-11-30T12:23:56+00:00

I guess Microsoft should have had this figured out before they rushed to launch an update that won't work with their own software. I did not install the Nvidia driver on my machine. If they know they are trouble perhaps they should recommend against using them or produce their own or require that they go through a process to become acceptable Microsoft products the way Apple does. At this point, my next computer will be an Apple.
Was this answer helpful?

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