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

2013-12-01T19:19:15+00:00

Do you know if Microsoft ran any Beta Testing on Windows 8.1, I myself have seen no sign of any such action, which in hindsight, might have saved a lot of people anguish from the problems that plague 8.1.

However I myself have upgraded several machines from 8 to 8.1, ranging in age from 5 years old to a recent Surface Pro Tablet, all without any errors or problems. The only difference in my case is that I have a MSDN Subscription and was able to download the .iso file and able to bypass the Microsoft Store upgrade path so that may be a key fact in the matter as far as I was concerned.
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Anonymous

2013-12-01T18:10:35+00:00

The length of this post and others similar to it (pinned to the forum front up) suggest to me that Microsoft are working secretly in the background on all these Windows 8.1 problems and keeping it (any solution) from us until it is a "fait accompli". In the mean time we are all left to our own "Devices". That is a pun, by the way.

There are definitely people working on it. It is just a matter of time for some systems. Some people and systems will be out of luck, unfortunately. One fellow with a similar problem caused by his ASUS hardware was more or less told to buy a new computer because ASUS isn't going to fix that particular model or update its BIOS. Time will tell whether that continues to hold true.

Meanwhile, there have also been a lot of people reporting similar problems on installing Mac OS X Mavericks, ranging from persistent sleep issues to kernel panics (roughly equivalent to a Windows Blackscreen error). Something about hardware standards and new OSes and how they interact with said standards--or something like that.
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Anonymous

2013-12-01T05:07:34+00:00

The length of this post and others similar to it (pinned to the forum front up) suggest to me that Microsoft are working secretly in the background on all these Windows 8.1 problems and keeping it (any solution) from us until it is a "fait accompli". In the mean time we are all left to our own "Devices". That is a pun, by the way.
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Anonymous

2013-11-30T21:20:05+00:00

Microsoft personnel also post here and read the forums. You sometimes have to get their attention if they aren't reading a particular thread. But, the links in the above post also are useful.

But, if your hardware is on the list of known problem hardware, you might not get very far in doing so. Check with your system's manufacturer to see if your computer can run or even can be upgraded to Windows 8.1. Or, post your system's details, including make and precise model number, and someone here can notify you if your system is on the list.
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