Windows 11, version 24H2 won't install

25h2 will just introduce a whole new set of bugs. Like many others, I tried just about everything several times over the period of a month even with Microsoft Support. In the end, I had to install Windows from scratch. We couldn't find any valid reason for the update refusing to install! Lost my copy of MS Office as well as several of my installed and paid for applications. Microsoft, pretty damn poor if you ask me.

The problem was Microsoft decided they needed to do a full install build rather than incremental was a bit like coming to Windows 10 from Windows 7 / 8. But nth many years on, systems are more complex. Not all drivers were tested in the migration to 24h2.

This one created an issue in the first boot on the problem laptop I had. A known issue picked up by the Insider program but remained unfixed:

This one fails if 23h2 but correct in 24h2

 set:      Description:        Intel RST VMD Managed Controller 09AB  
 set:      Parent Device:      ACPI\PNP0A08\0  
 set:      Driver INF Name:    oem80.inf  
 set:      Driver Package Id:  iastorvd.inf\_amd64\_d0a29c6938d49066  
 set:      Class Name:         SCSIAdapter  
 set:      Provider Name:      Intel Corporation  
 set:      Driver Date:        07/22/2024  
 set:      Driver Version:     20.1.0.1015  
 set:      Matching Device Id: PCI\VEN\_8086&DEV\_09AB  
 set:      Driver Rank:        0x00FF2001  
 set: {Migrate Device: PCI\VEN\_8086&DEV\_09AB&SUBSYS\_891B103C&REV\_00\3&11583659&3&E8} 19:05:44.082  
 set:      No function driver service for device 'PCI\VEN\_8086&DEV\_09AB&SUBSYS\_891B103C&REV\_00\3&11583659&3&E8'.  
 set: {Migrate Device: exit(0x00000000)} 19:05:44.087  

We run the setup in the directory intel_rst_19.5.7.1058

That restores 19.5.7.1058 which gets you further on in 24h2... to second boot. (reverted the driver from the update)

Then the second issue which was my main one was memory integrity of a driver. You use the Microsoft  hvciscan tool to find any issues. Basically this time round Microsoft enforced greater security on the build at the second boot, Circa 70%. Some knowledge of piping the results out from the program and deleting the offending driver. In my case was a non compliant Adobe DVD driver that had got on the system. Removal and all was good.

Memory integrity blurb:

The memory integrity system readiness scan tool, hvciscan_amd64.exe and hvciscan_arm64.exe, is used to check a system for compatibility with memory integrity. Memory integrity is a virtualization-based security (VBS) feature available in Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server 2016 or higher. Memory integrity and VBS improve the threat model of Windows and provide stronger protections against malware trying to exploit the Windows kernel. VBS uses the Windows hypervisor to create an isolated virtual environment that becomes the root of trust of the OS that assumes the kernel can be compromised. Memory integrity is a critical component that protects and hardens Windows by running kernel mode code integrity within the isolated virtual environment of VBS. Memory integrity also restricts kernel memory allocations that could be used to compromise the system, ensuring that kernel memory pages are only made executable after passing code integrity checks inside the secure runtime environment, and executable pages themselves are never writable. The memory integrity system readiness scan tool notifies you if the device has any known compatibility issues.

This was also a known issue in the Insider community but didn't get fixed.

Basically, by changing the rules of the game half way through Windows 11 lifecycle Microsoft brought these issues onto itself.

Speak to Ramesh Srinivasan https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/profile/5c01ec07-7667-4c6f-910c-008988c810e3 He fixed this very iussue for me in fifteen minutes.

One of the few people that can read the error reports other than that you have to train yourself up and do a lot of googling. Ignore the red herrings that people post up. that drive you wild since you have read it all before.

Had two issues

a. Safe Boot had this 0xC1900101 - 0x20017 ------------------------------------------ The net kept telling you to update old drivers but not saying what they were. If you take the Intel recommendations https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/intel-driver-support-assistant.html You can get some that are no good and hand in the first boot. This was Intel RST VMD Managed Controller 09AB Basically a disaster since it got stuck in the BIOS and boot tricks to get out. f11 repeat after power up then you pick the last etc etc So reverted back to intel_rst_19.5.7.1058 This was a known issue. Muhammad post: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/insider/forum/all/inaccessible-boot-device-after-installing-windows/f23b9960-af94-41e1-be81-a4f1d791b48d?page=2 >> I figured out the issue with my specific machine way back in January, It was a driver issue. The driver in question was "Intel RST VMD Managed Controller 09AB" v20.0.0.1037 (13-Oct-23). With this driver the updates would always rollback, I've reproduced this issue several times on multiple cnanary builds. If I roll back the driver to the last one which in my case is v19.5.7.1058 (29-Jun-23) the updates install fine. << I did what he said to get out of it: My notes: This one fails if 23h2 but correct in 24h2 set: Description: Intel RST VMD Managed Controller 09AB set: Parent Device: ACPI\PNP0A08\0 set: Driver INF Name: oem80.inf set: Driver Package Id: iastorvd.inf_amd64_d0a29c6938d49066 set: Class Name: SCSIAdapter set: Provider Name: Intel Corporation set: Driver Date: 07/22/2024 set: Driver Version: 20.1.0.1015 set: Matching Device Id: PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_09AB set: Driver Rank: 0x00FF2001 set: {Migrate Device: PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_09AB&SUBSYS_891B103C&REV_00\3&11583659&3&E8} 19:05:44.082 set: No function driver service for device 'PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_09AB&SUBSYS_891B103C&REV_00\3&11583659&3&E8'. set: {Migrate Device: exit(0x00000000)} 19:05:44.087 We run the setup in the directory intel_rst_19.5.7.1058 That restores 19.5.7.1058 which gets you further on in 24h2... to second boot.

Second issues:

b. second boot - non compliant driver (Installation failed Phase SECOND_BOOT) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is the more difficult one to solve went on for weeks till I found this post: https://www.sysnative.com/forums/threads/winsetupmon-sys-missing.41427/ Post 2 The following tool should tell us which driver(s) is/are causing the problem: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=105437 I'd already done the Farbar stuff Memory integrity system readiness scan tool >> Version: 10.0.25884.1000 Date Published: 6/15/2023 File Name: hvciscan_amd64.exe hvciscan_arm64.exe File Size: 41.9 KB 21.9 KB The memory integrity system readiness scan tool, hvciscan_amd64.exe and hvciscan_arm64.exe, is used to check a system for compatibility with memory integrity. Memory integrity is a virtualization-based security (VBS) feature available in Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server 2016 or higher. Memory integrity and VBS improve the threat model of Windows and provide stronger protections against malware trying to exploit the Windows kernel. VBS uses the Windows hypervisor to create an isolated virtual environment that becomes the root of trust of the OS that assumes the kernel can be compromised. Memory integrity is a critical component that protects and hardens Windows by running kernel mode code integrity within the isolated virtual environment of VBS. Memory integrity also restricts kernel memory allocations that could be used to compromise the system, ensuring that kernel memory pages are only made executable after passing code integrity checks inside the secure runtime environment, and executable pages themselves are never writable. The memory integrity system readiness scan tool notifies you if the device has any known compatiblilty issues. For more information about the types of issues that the tool may report, see https://learn.microsoft.com/windows-hardware/design/device-experiences/oem-hvci-enablement. << We downloaded hvciscan_amd64.exe Go to CMD and run as hvciscan_amd64.exe > output.txt Open in notebook and gave: >> VbsGetIssues: 0x00000000 VbsIsRecommended: 1 HVCI incompatible driver scan start... HVCI: "C:\WINDOWS\System32\Drivers\PxHlpa64.sys" failed with compliance failure mask 00000202 HVCI: Driver scanning complete HVCI: scan get result failed. << PxHlpa64.sys was the only troublesome driver.... Google gave: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/new-pc-has-pxhlpa64sys-driver-incompatible-with/1122bd64-57a7-41f7-a762-b13dac158562 Adobe DVD driver decided to remove it: From an Admin Command Prompt, run: reg export "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\PxHlpa64" C:\PxHlpa64.reg You should see the message "The operation completed successfully." Then, run these two commands: sc.exe delete PxHlpa64 ren C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\PxHlpa64.sys PxHlpa64.sys.old Restart Windows. See if you can enable Memory Integrity. ---- That was posted up on that thread Then ran the 24h2 installation assistant the EXE file and it worked. ISO for some reason didn't... once over to 24h2 ISO mount started working again. Basically hvciscan_amd64.exe identifies which drivers do not work in core isolation in stage 2 which was the problem. Then all worked. This fixed this error which was the long standing one 0xc1900101 - 0x40017 that prevented 24h2 going ahead just one driver PxHlpa64.sys was the culprit. ----- We did do a clean boot before wasn't helpful https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/how-to-perform-a-clean-boot-in-windows-da2f9573-6eec-00ad-2f8a-a97a1807f3dd The system restore was in terms of resetting

Loads of these... not useful https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/windows-update-failing-to-install/080fd5d8-9490-45c1-b557-e4c556dc46fa Take care with this... source of the VMD error but did update the rest: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/intel-driver-support-assistant.html The SFC stuff wasn't that https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-uk/000126064/how-do-i-run-the-system-file-checker-in-microsoft-windows Wasn't an antivirus program we checked https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/mcafee_consumer_product_removal_tool.html Microsoft fun page: https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/get-help-with-windows-upgrade-and-installation-errors-ea144c24-513d-a60e-40df-31ff78b3158a#WindowsVersion=Windows_11 Info on HP secure boot https://support.hp.com/gb-en/document/ish_6930187-6931079-16 More reading: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/troubleshoot-windows-11-upgrade-and-installation/ebf722db-701d-460f-985f-35c4b71383e7

My notes the spam filter will probably throw out.

Speak to Ramesh Srinivasan https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/profile/5c01ec07-7667-4c6f-910c-008988c810e3 He fixed this very iussue for me in fifteen minutes.

25h2 will just introduce a whole new set of bugs. Like many others, I tried just about everything several times over the period of a month even with Microsoft Support. In the end, I had to install Windows from scratch. We couldn't find any valid reason for the update refusing to install! Lost my copy of MS Office as well as several of my installed and paid for applications. Microsoft, pretty damn poor if you ask me.

I have tried everything to install this. My solution is to disable the Windows update service, so I don't get nagged to install any updates. I will wait for Windows 12 and do a fresh install.

It's believed there will be 25h2 later this year so you could try jumping to that from 23h2. They might have sorted out the bug by then. The bug is probably across a number of areas. 25h2 is suppose to be incremental which begs the question of how it jumps.

It's going to be non compliant drivers and / or programs you are having issues with but given the migration is lousy on diagnostics unless you are skilled at reading the error report you get stuck. There are people about that can read these.