Your Windows 11 upgrade not working? Try my 5 favorite troubleshooting tricks

4 days ago 8

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When Windows decides that it isn't funny successful completing an upgrade, it tin beryllium maddeningly unhelpful, spitting retired mistake codes and cryptic messages that tin permission adjacent experts scratching their heads.

Also: How to upgrade your 'incompatible' Windows 10 PC to Windows 11 - 2 escaped options

That tin hap with a regular Windows 11 diagnostic update, but it's particularly frustrating erstwhile you're trying to instal Windows 11 connected an older PC.

Over the years, I've had a batch of signifier with this benignant of thing, including hundreds of email sessions with readers trying to fig retired wherefore their upgrade isn't working. The troubleshooting process tin sometimes beryllium tedious, but there's usually an answer.

1. Check for missing updates, particularly firmware

I've heard from respective readers who encountered issues with upgrading that were resolved aft they tracked down immoderate important operator and firmware/BIOS updates.

Also: Microsoft said these 400 readers couldn't upgrade to Windows 11. They did it anyway

That's particularly utile proposal if you're moving with an older PC. Those firmware and BIOS updates tin often resoluteness each sorts of problems -- large and small.

2. Look up known issues

It's ever a bully thought to bash this before you commencement the upgrade. However, if you hide that step, the second-best clip is erstwhile you brushwood an mistake connection during the upgrade.

Microsoft keeps a database of known issues for each large update astatine its Windows merchandise accusation dashboard. Expand each introduction connected the near to spot the database of known and resolved issues for supported releases of Windows.

Also: Windows 10 PC can't beryllium upgraded? You person 5 options - and indispensable enactment now

Known issues are astir apt to look successful the archetypal fewer months aft the merchandise of a caller diagnostic update. Incompatibilities with bundle and hardware tin pb Microsoft to enforce impermanent compatibility blocks (known arsenic "safeguard holds") for systems with those peculiar configurations.

You whitethorn beryllium capable to bypass 1 of these blocks by updating oregon uninstalling an incompatible program, oregon you whitethorn privation to defer the update until the blocking contented is resolved. You'll find an fantabulous treatment of the issues progressive with safeguard holds on this page. Although it's nominally astir 1 circumstantial safeguard hold, the 4 alternatives it describes are universal.

3. Try again!

This is dangerously adjacent to "Have you tried turning it disconnected and backmost connected again?" But this instrumentality has worked truthful galore times that it can't beryllium ignored.

First, cheque Windows Update for your presently installed mentation of Windows. If immoderate updates are pending, instal them and restart earlier continuing.

Also: How to get escaped Windows 10 information updates done October 2026: Two ways

Next, temporarily uninstall immoderate unneeded bundle that could beryllium getting successful the way. Pay peculiar attraction to low-level strategy tools specified arsenic antivirus software, disk absorption tools, and truthful on. In the lawsuit of antivirus software, you mightiness request to download a instrumentality from the developer to wholly region the program.

Disconnect each non-essential peripheral devices, particularly outer hard drives and USB flash drives that you're not utilizing to tally Setup.

After doing each that, restart your PC and effort to upgrade again. On the opening page, click "Change however Setup downloads updates,' past click "Not close now."

4. Search for mistake codes and messages

If you're seeing a circumstantial mistake message, particularly if it has an mistake code, effort looking it up connected your favourite hunt engine. Several readers reported that rebooting aft utilizing Rufus to execute an upgrade resulted successful a connection that said "A disk work mistake occurred." I recovered the solution in a Reddit thread -- successful the PC's BIOS, cheque the SATA detection mounting and alteration it from Intel (or RAID) to AHCI. Adding site:reddit.com or site:microsoft.com to the extremity of a hunt query is simply a bully mode to restrict the results to a azygous site.

Don't conscionable blindly travel instructions you find connected third-party sites, but it's ever worthy checking to spot if idiosyncratic has reported a solution that worked for them.

If that doesn't get things moving, it's clip to interruption retired the large gun.

5. Use the SetupDiag instrumentality to place the cause

Windows creates elaborate log files each clip it attempts an upgrade. Those logs aren't designed to beryllium decoded by specified mortals, which is wherefore Microsoft created a diagnostic inferior to bash that occupation for you.

Also: Windows 10 enactment officially ends - and millions of PCs autumn disconnected the 'security cliff'

SetupDiag locates and inspects those log files, past uses a acceptable of rules to make a readable study flagging the astir apt origin of the failure. You'll request to tally a fewer commands from a terminal model to get that report, but the process isn't difficult, and the results are worthy the effort. Here's however to usage it.

Download the programme from here: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=870142.
Create a folder called C:\SetupDiag and transcript the SetupDiag.exe programme you conscionable downloaded to that folder.
Next, unfastened an elevated bid punctual window. Click Start, type cmd, and past click Run As Administrator. In that bid punctual window, type cd c:\setupdiag and property Enter to power to the folder you conscionable created
Run the bid SetupDiag.exe /Output:C:\SetupDiag\Results.log. The output of that bid is simply a plain substance record that is saved successful the aforesaid folder arsenic the programme file. As its last step, the app opens the results record successful Notepad, allowing you to analyse its output and fig retired what to bash next.

Don't expect plain-English advice, but the results, particularly immoderate mistake codes, should beryllium utile input for immoderate searches to place others who've had the aforesaid issue.

Here's a illustration from a SetupDiag log a scholar precocious sent me.

The past point connected that leafage typically identifies the error. In this case, it's an "abrupt down-level failure," which means thing went incorrect successful the root OS, earlier Setup adjacent got to the people OS. The mistake code, 0xC1900209, is listed successful this elaborate enactment document: "The idiosyncratic has chosen to cancel due to the fact that the strategy does not walk the compat scan to instal the update."

The hole was to archer Setup not to download updates and drivers; aft making that change, the upgrade completed without error. Once Windows 11 was installed, the required updates installed without issue.

You'll find afloat instructions for utilizing SetupDiag on this page.

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