Windows 11, version 24H2 won't install

Not enough space? What a joke! How hard is it for MS to check available space before updating?

Hello, Fonzeh

Welcome to the Microsoft Community.

Hello, thank you for your feedback on your issue here, it seems that your current attempts to update win11 24H2 are not installing properly.

First of all, thank you for your feedback here, it seems that your current attempts to install manually using the ISO have also failed.

There may be some system issues, you can try to fix your system and drivers by following the steps below:

1. Clear Windows Update Cache

Sometimes corrupted update files can cause the installation to fail, and clearing the Windows Update cache may help:

Stop the Windows Update service:

Open Command Prompt as an administrator (right-click the Start menu > select Command Prompt (Administrator) or PowerShell (Administrator)).

Enter the following command:

net stop wuauserv

Delete the update cache:

Go to the C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download folder and delete all files in it.

Restart the Windows Update Service:

Enter the following command:

net start wuauserv

2. Run DISM and SFC scans

Corrupt system files may prevent the update from installing. Running a DISM (Deployment Image Service and Management Tool) and SFC (System File Checker) scan can help fix these issues:

DISM:

Open a command prompt as administrator.

Enter the following command:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

This may take some time, please be patient.

SFC:

After DISM is complete, type:

sfc /scannow

Let it finish and then try the update again.

Disclaimer: Running Microsoft Safety Scanner can help you check if the system is disturbed or malicious software exists. To avoid any trouble for you, please back up all your personal files first to ensure you do not lose data.  

3. Updating Drivers

Make sure your drivers, especially the graphics card and chipset drivers, are up to date. Outdated drivers may prevent the update from installing. You can visit the official website of the brand of your computer to download them.

After that you can try the override installation method to repair your system and install 24H2.

Let’s try performing an in-place install or in-place upgrade which will refresh your Windows files and operating system without removing files or applications. That being said, we always recommend that if you have important data, you should back it up before making large system changes. If you want to back up your data first, please do so. Once you are done backing up, you can follow the steps in the following guides: How to run In-place upgrade in Windows 11 - Microsoft Community 

Best regards

Bobhe | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

I have a similar issue. Windows Update has tried and failed to install the 24H2 update every day since mid November. Today, I tried to follow your 3 steps above to the letter and then finally resorted to an in-place install of W11 24H2 from the ISO file. All failed to install 24H2, with the in-place install from ISO failing with the error message:

"0x80070002 - 0x20007

The installation failed in the SAFE_OS phase with an error during INSTALL_DRIVERS operation"

Please note that as far as I know all my drivers are up to date and I verified that with the update tools of both Windows and HP (the manufacturer).

Also, the failed in-place install of 24H2 from ISO left me with 2 W11 boot which I had to resolve using sysconfig.

This seems to be a broader issue on the Microsoft side with 24H2. Please escalate and advise as soon as possible. Delaying the update involves exposure to security vulnerabilities. Thank you.

My system details:

OS Name Microsoft Windows 11 Pro

Version 10.0.22631 Build 22631

OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation

System Manufacturer HP

System Model HP Elite Dragonfly 13.5 inch G3 Notebook PC

System Type x64-based PC

System SKU 4J032AV

Processor 12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-1235U, 1300 Mhz, 10 Core(s), 12 Logical Processor(s)

BIOS Version/Date HP U90 Ver. 01.12.01, 7/30/2024

SMBIOS Version 3.4

Embedded Controller Version 8.111

BIOS Mode UEFI

BaseBoard Manufacturer HP

BaseBoard Product 897F

BaseBoard Version KBC Version 08.6F.00

Platform Role Mobile

Secure Boot State On

PCR7 Configuration Elevation Required to View

Windows Directory C:\windows

System Directory C:\windows\system32

Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume1

Locale United States

Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "10.0.22621.2506"

Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 16.0 GB

Total Physical Memory 15.6 GB

Available Physical Memory 5.46 GB

Total Virtual Memory 24.1 GB

Available Virtual Memory 10.0 GB

Page File Space 8.50 GB

That one is when it's loaded up an incompatible driver as an update. Been there, done that. You have to find that driver and wind back if it's that. It's a shambles. The duplicate boot areas are also due to that. Drivers in catalogues which cause issues aren't good for anyone.

One of my laptops updated fine using the assistant, the other one won't. Tried every method covered on the net, let's hope Microsoft can sort out the issues they have unleashed with 24h2 update.

Currently stuck on the final boot. It seems some crypto handshaking takes place, and I've not got it. That's two months in of trying to sort it out.

Edit.

On the 9th week of trying found it was "memory integrity" of a rogue driver. There is a Microsoft memory integrity tool that you can Google. It runs a check and you list off using a DOS command whats it's found. This issue can occur on the final lap of the update, at circa 70%. You look at the memory integrity output. Just one it found for me, an Adobe DVD driver then you surgically remove it from the driver store. Another Google on how to do that. Then repeat the update and it worked.

It is an issue that Microsoft put in by tightening up the backend security of Windows in 24h2. If you have a driver that fails memory integrity it blows a raspberry and undoes the update. I have given more details on here... some people moaned at the time. Well it depends whether you want to fix it yourself or not. You could wait a long time for Microsoft since it's now a design feature.

I dumped a bunch of stuff on the computer...and it still won't work...I very much agree...they need to do smaller updates and more of them...

Gary

Again, with all due respect, no one should have to do that. All these backward, mystery solving, multi stepped processes only prove that Microsoft and its update are useless. Do this, then do that, then take this, then take that, now do this etc. No. Microsoft has caused unknown damage to millions of computers with no explanation and surely no help. They must be held accountable. It is completely unacceptable to attempt to fix their update. If it was not ready, it should not have been released. It’s a marketing ploy to get people to buy new systems. Inexcusable.