Microsoft is blocking Windows 11 2022 Update because of blue screen issues

Since the release of Windows 11 2022 Update last week, there have been various issues cropping up, including serious gaming problems for people with NVIDIA GPUs. This particular problem has now been fixed, but Microsoft has discovered a more serious issue with the first major update for Windows 11, meaning that the rollout of Windows 11 22H2 has been hit with a compatibility hold.

A compatibility issue affecting some Intel systems has forced Microsoft to block the rollout of the Windows 11 2022 Update to some people. It is a problem with echoes of a previous block on the rollout of Windows 11 21H2.

See also:

• There are already problems with Windows 11 2022 Update for NVIDIA users
• Microsoft gives Windows 11 a new security feature to prevent you storing your passwords insecurely
• Microsoft releases KB5017389 update for Windows 11 2022 Update

In an entry on the Windows release health pages for Windows 11 22H2 (Windows 11 2022 Update), Microsoft says: "Intel and Microsoft have found incompatibility issues with certain versions of drivers for Intel Smart Sound Technology (Intel SST) on Intel 11th Gen Core processors and Windows 11. Windows 11 devices with the affected Intel SST driver might receive an error with a blue screen".

The company continues:

The affected driver will be named Intel Smart Sound Technology (Intel SST) Audio Controller under System Devices in Device Manager and have the file name IntcAudioBus.sys and a file version of 10.29.0.5152 or 10.30.0.5152. Only devices with both an Intel 11th Gen Core processors and an Intel SST driver version of 10.29.0.5152 or 10.30.0.5152 are affected by this issue.

To safeguard your upgrade experience, we have applied a compatibility hold on devices with affected Intel SST drivers from being offered Windows 11, version 22H2 or Windows 11, version 21H2. If your organization is using Update Compliance, the safeguard IDs are:

Windows 11, version 21H2: 36899911

Windows 11, version 22H2: 41291788

The only solution is to check to see whether Intel has produced an updated driver suitable for your system. Microsoft explains:

To mitigate the safeguard, you will need to check with your device manufacturer (OEM) to see if an updated driver is available and install it. This issue is resolved by updating the Intel Smart Sound Technology drivers to a version 10.30.00.5714 and later or 10.29.00.5714 and later. Important: Later versions refer to just the last part of the version number. For addressing this issue, 10.30.x versions are not newer than 10.29.x versions. Once you have updated to a compatible version of the Intel Smart Sound Technology drivers, you should be able to upgrade to Windows 11. Please note, if there are no other safeguards that affect your device, it can take up to 48 hours before the upgrade to Windows 11 is offered.

The company stresses that users affected by the compatibility block should not try to get around it by performing a manual upgrade.