BSOD IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (ntoskrnl.exe) during Win 11 clean install on Lenovo 15ARH05

Question

BSOD IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (ntoskrnl.exe) during Win 11 clean install on Lenovo 15ARH05

Datrixon 0

System Configuration:

Laptop Model: Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ARH05

MTM: 82EY (System Board: LNVNB161216)

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 4800H with Radeon Graphics

GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650

BIOS: FCCN21WW (Latest)

Security Settings: fTPM 2.0 Enabled, Secure Boot Enabled, Storage set to AHCI NVMe.

Problem Description:

When attempting a clean installation or upgrade to Windows 11 (25H2/24H2) using official ISO/USB media, the installation fails 99% of the time during the first automatic reboot / OOBE device setup phase.

BSOD Error Details:

Stop Code: IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (0xA)

What failed: ntoskrnl.exe

Critical Detail:

Out of approximately 30 installation attempts, Windows 11 magically installed once and booted up successfully, confirming that the underlying SSD, RAM, and motherboard hardware are fully functional. However, upon attempting another clean reinstall, the system reverted back to crashing with the exact same BSOD at the exact same stage.

Meanwhile, legacy Windows 11 builds (e.g., 21H2) and Windows 10 install and run 100% stably without any issues.

This behavior clearly points to a race condition or an initialization conflict between the generic inbox AMD chipset/kernel drivers included in modern Windows 11 ISOs and the LNVNB161216 motherboard platform during early boot.

Please log this kernel compatibility bug for the engineering team.

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2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (0xA) is a Windows stop error that typically occurs when a device driver or system memory accesses invalid memory. Microsoft documentation states it is most often caused by faulty or outdated drivers, memory issues, or hardware problems. For upgrade or newer-version install scenarios, the bug check documentation also states the error can be caused by a device driver, system service, antivirus software, or a backup tool that is incompatible with the newer Windows version.

For this install-stage failure on Windows 11, the supported troubleshooting path is:

Disconnect non-essential hardware Leave only the mouse, keyboard, and display connected during setup. Microsoft’s Windows upgrade guidance specifically recommends disconnecting peripheral devices for driver-related install failures.
Disable or remove third-party security software If any antivirus or antispyware software is present before starting setup, remove or disable it. Microsoft lists third-party security software as a known cause of install failures and bug check 0xA during upgrades.
Update drivers through Windows Update first If Windows 11 can be booted even once, go to Start > Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options.
- Turn Receive updates for other Microsoft products to On.
- Open Optional updates.
- Install all optional updates.
- Return to Windows Update and select Check for updates.
- Install all available updates, then restart.
Get updated drivers from the device manufacturer if Windows Update does not help Microsoft explicitly recommends checking the device manufacturer’s site when Windows Update does not provide updated drivers or does not resolve the issue.
Remove recently added hardware or test for hardware-related triggers The bug check guidance recommends removing recently added hardware and running manufacturer-supplied hardware diagnostics if hardware changes were made.
Use a clean boot for upgrade attempts affected by background processes For setup failures caused by background activity, Microsoft recommends a clean boot to determine whether another process is interfering with the upgrade.
Check memory diagnostic results In Event Viewer, go to Event Viewer (Local) > Application and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows > MemoryDoagnostics-Results > Debug.
- Event ID 2001 means no memory errors were detected.
If the issue persists only on newer Windows 11 builds, focus on platform drivers The available guidance supports treating this as a likely driver or service compatibility issue during setup, especially since Windows 10 and older Windows 11 builds install successfully.

The request to log a kernel compatibility bug cannot be completed here. The supported conclusion from the available guidance is that this stop code during setup is commonly associated with incompatible or faulty drivers, services, antivirus software, or hardware-related issues, and the next supported action is to update or remove those components and retry the installation with minimal attached devices.

Answer 2

DaveM121 929.6K Independent Advisor

I have seen this previously reported when installing 25H2 on Lenovo devices, the best option, because this is just a user to user forum, is to open the Feedback Hub app in Windows and report this to the Windows developers there and provide your full system specs so they can investigate the problem with the drivers built into the 25H2 ISO image and hopefully provide a patch for this installation bug.

If you now have an up to date version of Windows 11 installed, are you experiencing any BSOD's when you use your system, or is it just during the installation process.

Datrixon 0 Reputation points

2026-08-31T09:40:25.5833333+00:00

Thank you, Dave!

To answer your question: No, during that 1 successful 25H2 installation out of 30 attempts, I used the system for about 15 minutes, performed several normal system restarts, and tested basic usage — everything was 100% stable with zero BSODs.

The issue occurs strictly during the early boot / OOBE phase of a clean 25H2 installation. Once it manages to pass that initial setup stage, the OS works completely fine.

I will also submit a detailed report via Feedback Hub as you suggested.
DaveM121 929.6K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-08-31T10:00:30.8266667+00:00

Thank you for that information, I do think providing feedback to their developers on this specific problem is the best option wo they can investigate the problems with the AMD drivers included in the installation media.
Datrixon 0 Reputation points

2026-09-01T18:49:09.5333333+00:00

Hello everyone,

Here is the exact update on what has been tested and done so far regarding the installation issues:

Hardware Specifications:

Laptop: Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ARH05 (Type 82EY)

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 4800H

GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650

Drivers: Updated strictly using official drivers from the official Lenovo support website.

Software Tests & Results:

Bought official physical Retail BOX licenses for Windows 11 (21H2, 23H2, and 24H2).

Windows 10: Installs and works 100% fine.

Windows 11 21H2 (Retail BOX): Installs successfully.

Windows 11 23H2 (Retail BOX): Installs successfully, but throws random BSODs (IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL / SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION). It is mostly fixed/stabilized when internet connection is turned OFF.

Windows 11 24H2 (Retail BOX): Does not install at all. Throws BSOD (IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL / ntoskrnl.exe / ACPI.sys) during setup.

Windows 11 25H2: Cannot upgrade from 23H2 to 25H2 — throws BSOD during the upgrade process. Does not install at all.

Actions Taken:

Submitted full issue report with diagnostic telemetry via Windows Feedback Hub.

Posted official support request on Lenovo Forums to escalate this kernel/ACPI setup issue to their engineering team.
DaveM121 929.6K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-02T05:42:05.78+00:00

Thank you for that detailed information, hopefully they will now investigate this and resolve the problems with the drivers in the installation image.
Datrixon 0 Reputation points

2026-09-04T19:35:56.6133333+00:00

Hi Microsoft Team and Community,

I am writing to request an official update and status report regarding the ongoing kernel-level crash (IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL / ACPI.sys / ntoskrnl.exe) affecting AMD Ryzen 4000/5000 (Renoir/Cezanne) mobile platforms under Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 (specifically on Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ARH05 / Type 82EY, among other OEM devices).

Key observations:

Long-standing Issue: Reports of ACPI.sys / P-State power management regressions on these specific APU architectures have been circulating in the Windows Feedback Hub and OEM forums since 2023 without a definitive kernel fix.

Immediate Crash: Clean installations fail during the setup/OOBE stage before any custom or third-party drivers are installed.

Vendor Deadlock: AMD Support (Service Request: #0090540) points to OEM ACPI table implementations, while Lenovo Support suggests remaining on older Windows versions (Win 10 / Win 11 21H2). Meanwhile, users are left with an officially supported CPU (Ryzen 7 4800H) that cannot run modern Windows 11 servicing builds.

When can we expect Microsoft Engineering to acknowledge this kernel/ACPI interaction regression and coordinate a patch or compatibility hold with OEM vendors?

Feedback Hub Link / Telemetry details are available upon request.
Datrixon 0 Reputation points

2026-09-08T19:06:48.14+00:00

Hi everyone,

I am writing this to document a complete breakdown in support coordination between Lenovo, AMD, and Microsoft regarding a critical kernel-level regression affecting the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ARH05 (Type 82EY, Ryzen 7 4800H, NVidia GTX 1650).

Despite the Ryzen 7 4800H being on Microsoft's official Windows 11 Supported Processors list, modern Windows 11 servicing builds (24H2 and 25H2) consistently crash during the clean installation / OOBE boot loader phase with:

Stop Code: IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (0xA)

What Failed: ntoskrnl.exe / ACPI.sys

The Support Deadlock Summary:

AMD Support (Service Request #0905540):

Their Stance: Passed the buck entirely to Lenovo, claiming that low-level ACPI DSDT/SSDT table management and power state (P-State) execution fall strictly under OEM firmware/BIOS responsibility.

Lenovo Support / Community Team:

Their Stance: Evading the root cause by suggesting non-relevant storage checks (e.g., verifying EFI FAT32 partition layouts, which occur after the kernel initialization crash) or advising users to remain on unsupported, legacy operating systems like Windows 10 or Windows 11 21H2.

Microsoft Support & Community:

Their Stance: Forum responses just redirect users to submit reports via Feedback Hub, but there has been zero response or movement from the developers so far. No compatibility holds have been issued, leaving the issue blamed on generic AMD inbox drivers in 24H2/25H2 ISOs.

Technical Proof of Hardware Integrity:

Legacy Windows 10 & Windows 11 21H2: Install and run 100% stably with zero crashes under heavy synthetic stress tests.

Isolated Outlier Success: Out of ~30 clean install attempts, 25H2 successfully booted once, proving that the underlying NVMe SSD, RAM, and motherboard logic are physically fully functional.

Failure Vector: The crash occurs exclusively during early kernel driver initialization when the new Windows 11 24H2/25H2 kernel attempts to parse Lenovo's legacy BIOS (FCCN21WW) ACPI power management tables.

Conclusion:

Users are trapped in a triangle of denial. Lenovo refuses to update ACPI tables for legacy Renoir platforms, AMD refuses to patch inbox drivers, and Microsoft pushes builds that render officially supported hardware unbootable.

We require an actual engineering review (L3/Firmware/Kernel teams) rather than first-level scripted responses. Raw .dmp files and acpidump table extracts are fully available upon request.
Datrixon 0 Reputation points

2026-09-08T19:19:04.39+00:00

Adding screenshots of the error messages below.
Datrixon 0 Reputation points

2026-09-08T19:20:17.3533333+00:00
Datrixon 0 Reputation points

2026-09-08T19:20:52.86+00:00
Datrixon 0 Reputation points

2026-09-08T19:25:43.4333333+00:00
Datrixon 0 Reputation points

2026-09-08T19:26:13.0833333+00:00