I'm trying to upgrade some virtual machines that are currently running Windows 11 23H2 to 25H2, but I've run into persistent issues. I've set up Hyper-V on either Server 2019 or Server 2022 for an enterprise version of the Windows 11 VM and everything worked fine with 23H2. The requirements for that version seemed straightforward: a compatible CPU (like an 8th gen Intel), secure boot, and TPM. In a virtual setup, I used virtual secure boot and a virtual TPM without any problems.
Now that I'm attempting to upgrade to 25H2, I've tried everything from using an ISO file from a file share to local drives, and even created a bootable USB using Rufus with all requirements disabled except for CPU and RAM. Unfortunately, none of these methods are cooperating, and the upgrade keeps failing without giving specific error messages. I suspect there might be additional requirements or differences between 23H2 and 25H2 that I need to consider. My server hardware is relatively old; could that be causing the problem? Is there a list of specific requirements for 24H2 or 25H2 that differs from earlier versions? Also, does the USB created by Rufus need to be handled differently for 25H2? Any insights would be appreciated!
3 Answers
When creating your USB boot with Rufus, you can disable Windows 11 requirements like TPM 2.0 and secure boot, but I've heard that sometimes they still pose issues on older machines. Double-check the logs for anything that might indicate what's going wrong. Using the product server method to upgrade might also help you bypass those hardware checks.
There are some significant differences between the kernel designs of 23H2 and 25H2, so that might be causing the trouble. The kernel for 23H2 is 22631, while 25H2 uses 26200. If you’re trying an in-place upgrade, make sure you're using a setup file that bypasses checks for TPM and other requirements. Formatting might be a bit more straightforward when moving directly from 23H2 to 25H2.
For the 25H2 upgrade, you definitely need to ensure your CPU supports SSE 4.2 and Popcnt. If your hardware is older, it might not meet these requirements, which could explain the upgrade failures. You should check if there's a specific list outlining all new hardware requirements for 25H2.
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