This PC can’t be upgraded to this version of Windows (24H2 Setup)

When you install a feature update in Windows 10 or 11, the following error message may appear.

What needs your attention

The following things need your attention to continue the installation and keep your Windows settings, personal, files, and apps.


This PC can't be upgraded to this version of Windows.

Your PC has a driver or service that isn't ready for this version of Windows. Windows Update will automatically offer you this version of Windows once the issue has been resolved.

setup incompatible driver service 24h2

For example, the above error can occur when upgrading Windows 11 from 23H2 to 24H2.

The setupact.log may indicate the following error code.

0xC1900209 - 0x4000D
Error code Cause Mitigation
0xC1900209 The user has chosen to cancel because the system doesn’t pass the compatibility scan to install the update. Setup.exe will report this error when it can upgrade the machine with user data but cannot migrate installed applications. Incompatible software is blocking the upgrade process. Uninstall the application and try the upgrade again. For more information, see Windows 10 Pre-Upgrade Validation using SETUP.EXE.

You can also download the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) for Windows 10 and install Application Compatibility Tools.

Source: Windows upgrade resolution procedures – Windows Client | Microsoft Learn

Cause

An incompatible driver or service is blocking the feature update.

Resolution

To see which driver or service is preventing the feature update from being installed, follow these steps:

Please open the C:\$WINDOWS.~BT\Sources\Panther folder.

panther folder xml and log files

Open each APPRAISER_HumanReadable.xml file using Notepad and check for the following lines.

SdbGenericMessageSummary

-or-

<Property Name="SdbBlockType" Value="BlockUpgrade" Ordinal="1" />

Here’s a sample entry:

The above log denotes the Easy Anti-Cheat service or driver is blocking the upgrade.




It’s a known issue in 24H2. Please read the following excerpt from the Windows 11, version 24H2 known issues page.

To safeguard your update experience, we have applied a compatibility hold on devices running the incompatible Easy Anti-Cheat drivers. These devices will not be offered to install Windows 11, version 24H2 via the Windows Update release channel.

To resolve the issue, delete the EasyAntiCheat service using the following commands:

reg export "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\EasyAntiCheat" c:\EasyAntiCheat.reg
net stop EasyAntiCheat
sc.exe delete EasyAntiCheat

RELATED: How to install and troubleshoot EA anticheat on your PC

After restarting Windows, please rename this folder:

c:\program files (x86)\easyanticheat

to

dummyfolder

Restart Windows and rerun the feature update (e.g., the 24H2 setup.)


Editor’s note

If the APPRAISER_HumanReadable.xml mentions another driver or service, uninstall the corresponding software or manually remove its driver service.

In another case, the problem was caused by the Voicemeeter driver. Uninstalling it fixed the issue.

setup blocked by voicemeeter driver

For more information, see How to Delete a Service in Windows.


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Ramesh Srinivasan is passionate about Microsoft technologies and he has been a consecutive ten-time recipient of the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional award in the Windows Shell/Desktop Experience category, from 2003 to 2012. He loves to troubleshoot and write about Windows. Ramesh founded Winhelponline.com in 2005.

2 thoughts on “This PC can’t be upgraded to this version of Windows (24H2 Setup)”

  1. How do you reverse this after installing windows 11? My games are saying I don’t have EasyAntiCheat installed. And when I go into the game folder to install it doesn’t work.

    Reply
    • @Kyle:

      To restore the service, merge the “c:\EasyAntiCheat.reg” file which you backed up earlier.

      Then, rename “c:\program files (x86)\dummyfolder” to “c:\program files (x86)\easyanticheat”

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