In late December 2024, Microsoft recognized a new challenge impacting Windows 11 that hindered updates from being applied on certain devices. Although this issue has now been labeled as resolved, Microsoft has not yet delivered a fix for the affected devices.
The issue impacts devices that satisfy the following criteria:
- The Windows 11 installation was performed using installation media.
- This media contained the security enhancements from October or November 2024.
- The sole version impacted is Windows 11, version 24H2.
Installation media is commonly employed to set up Windows 11 on new systems, where the Windows 11 image is either burned onto a DVD or transferred onto USB drives for installation purposes.
This circumstance may arise when utilizing Microsoft’s official Windows 11 Media Creation Tool, as well as with third-party software such as Rufus. Furthermore, it may influence more proficient users who have integrated security updates directly into their installation media.
Microsoft’s Suggested Resolution
In December, Microsoft issued a workaround for those encountering this dilemma, which consists of reinstalling Windows 11 on the affected devices with updated installation media. According to Microsoft, employing media that encompasses the December 2024 security updates or later will circumvent this problem.
Microsoft recommends: “To avoid this issue, do not install Windows 11, version 24H2 utilizing media that installs the October 2024 or November 2024 security updates. If a device is rendered unable to receive additional updates due to this problem, it can be resolved by reinstalling Windows 11, version 24H2, using media that includes the December 2024 monthly security update (released December 10, 2024), or beyond.”
Nevertheless, this solution is not optimal, as it requires affected users to undergo the entire Windows 11 installation process again. Microsoft does not provide any indication of a reset feature for Windows 11 that could address the problem, suggesting that such methods might be ineffective. Reinstallation may also result in the loss of work or data on the primary system partition.
Status: Resolved, Yet Lacking a Fix
As of February 6, 2025, Microsoft categorized the issue, referred to as “Issues might occur with media which installs the October or November update,” as resolved.
However, no further guidance accompanied the workaround, indicating that Microsoft has not discovered a means to restore update functionality for affected devices.
Moreover, there have been no new announcements from Microsoft concerning the situation. While it appears resolved following the December 2024 security updates, the handling of the issue has left much to be desired.
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