We recently reported thatMicrosoftisstifling third-party customization apps in its next Windows 11 build, 24H2, preventing outgoing iterations of Windows 11 from upgrading to the new build unless the flagged apps are deleted. However,Deskmodder.de reportsthat these blockages don’t stop with just 3rd party customization apps. Several drivers, apps, and hardware IDs have also been discovered that can trigger an update hold on 24H2, preventing Windows 11 from upgrading to the future Windows 11 build.
The list includes two drivers from Intel (one being anaudiodriver), a Realtek Wireless USB 2.0 adapter driver, an AMDRadeonSoftware executable, and an iCloud services executable. This information was extracted from Microsoft’s appraiser.sdb forWindows 1124H2, which holds all the names of potentially unstable applications and drivers.
The German news outlet also revealed a host of hardware IDs that have been added recently or extended for 24H2. However, we won’t cover it here since it’s a massive list. Similar to the blocked apps above, this hardware ID list is an accumulation of system hardware that Microsoft deems not safe or too unstable to run 24H2. Check out Deskmodder’s full article if you want to see the list of hardware IDs that are affected.
Microsoft’s driver, application, and hardware ID block lists, are nothing new. The company has used these lists in the past to block older Windows 11 upgrades to prevent system crashes and system instability on potentially incompatible software/hardware.
This time, however, it appears Microsoft is being extra strict with its block lists, which now affect third-party customization apps. Several of the applications listed above are also quite new, with the iCloud and Radeon Software executables being flagged despite being versions compatible with 23H2 — the latest build of Windows 11.
We have reached out to Microsoft for comment and will update the article accordingly. But, it seems like the company is taking extra precautions due to the extensive amount of features that are going into 24H2. 24H2 is effectively theAI patch for Windows 11, which incorporate an extensive amount of AI-accelerated features throughout the OS. 24H2 could also debut Microsoft’s16GB RAM requirement for AI PCs.
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Aaron Klotz is a contributing writer for Tom’s Hardware, covering news related to computer hardware such as CPUs, and graphics cards.
