Microsoft has identified an annoying bug in Windows 11 that prevents further updates to the operating system. There are still only workarounds.
Current Windows 11 24H2 cannot accept further updates after setup if updates from the past two months are present on the installation media. This means that new Windows installations are not yet safe. At the moment, there is no way to fix this issue other than reinstalling the latest version, which also includes monthly updates from December 2024. Microsoft confirmed the error in a blog post dated December 24, 2024, and said that there is no solution other than reinstallation yet; however, work is underway to fix the error. The error only occurs when installing Windows from media such as a USB stick, not when updating an existing installation via Windows Update, and only if such installation media contains monthly updates from October 8 or 12, 2024. This includes up to November 2024. Microsoft does not specify what other conditions there are, but suggests that the error “may occur.” Therefore, it seems that not all systems are affected.
Up-to-date installation media helps
For example, if you used Microsoft’s “Media Creation Tool” to create an installation media that includes the December updates, you should not experience any problems. Therefore, we recommend that you update any old installation media to the current version. It’s a good idea to do this regularly anyway, as it will reduce the time it takes for your PC to update Windows.
Microsoft has been widely distributing the Windows 11 feature update 24H2 for about three weeks now, which was received mainly by modern PCs, but not by older ones. Now, problems are becoming more and more frequent, most recently with Outlook and many games from manufacturer Ubisoft.
