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

2013-11-19T05:43:25+00:00

Thank you for responding. You gave me exactly what I was asking and looking for. It is confirmed that you have a Ralink WiFi Adapter. That is most probably the cause of your upgrade woes. Get out your manual, or read the one I posted above, and familiarize yourself with the section concerning the BIOS.

As above, here is what you will want to try first (your Intel HD graphics is the next thing to address if you have the problem even after turning off the Ralink Adapter).

1. Get an Ethernet cable and connect it to your wired jack on your computer. Turn off the wireless using the function key for that purpose (if your model has one). Check for internet connectivity through the cable and make sure you have access.

2. Uninstall the driver for the Ralink wireless using Device Manager. Make sure to check the box that gives the option to delete the driver from the disk.

3. Reboot and enter the BIOS per your instruction manual.

4. Disable the Ralink wireless adapter completely in the BIOS.

5. Reboot into Windows 8.

6. Go to the Windows Store and upgrade to Windows 8.1.

7. After finishing the upgrade, make sure you can logon to Windows as usual. Once you have done that, install the latest HP Ralink driver available on your machine. Reboot.

8. While rebooting, enter the BIOS again and turn on your Ralink Adapter.

9. Reboot into Windows 8.1. The driver should detect the adapter and install and configure.

Let us know if you succeeded after doing the above. If not, do the above again, but skip steps 7-9. Then, make sure you install the very latest driver for the Intel HD graphics before you upgrade to Windows 8.1. Those two pieces of hardware are big troublemakers to the upgrade process. If both of these fail, you should see if there is an upgraded BIOS available for your machine and install it, being sure to follow the directions in your manual for the process without deviation. Then try it again. These are the three things I would work with first before all else, starting with the Ralink Adapter.

As to my Mavericks upgrade, it went flawlessly. It is what ensued afterward that was the nightmare. Massive permissions issues as well as software incompatibilities and Garageband crashes, etc. Too much information to talk about. I ended up doing a fresh install of Mavericks, and did not install a piece of software that was incompatible (even though the developers said that it was), and all was right with the world again.

I had a really nasty upgrade experience upgrading my Linux box, too. I ended up losing everything visual but the Console (X would not start after the upgrade). I had to rebuild manually from there. But, the initial point and reason to bring it up at all was to point out that all OSes have problems with upgrading on some systems from time to time. There are so many systems and configurations out there these days that things are bound to go awry for some users and some systems.
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Anonymous

2013-11-19T07:55:31+00:00

Novell iPrint Client is another conflicting software. I unknowingly installed it on my laptop without realizing it was not compatible with windows 8 yet. It prevented me from updating to 8.1. I had updated all my drivers (esp nvidia), didn't have steelseries, eset or trusteer rapport. After I removed it following instructions here:

http://www.novell.com/support/kb/doc.php?id=7014111

update went through no blank screen and error.
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Anonymous

2013-11-19T09:27:22+00:00

Only managed to install windows 8.1 when formatted the laptop to its original state.

I have a Toshiba L50-A-103 with two graphics cards, an Intel (R) HD Graphics 4000 and Nvidia GeForce GT 740M.

In my workplace I use a external SyncMaster 2032BW monitor with a resolution of 1680 x 1050.

I upgraded to Windows 8.1 and I can no longer use the nvidia card as default.

Now only detects the Intel with maximum 1366 x 768.

Is there a solution to this problem?
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