Windows 11 25H2 is here, but it won’t show up if there’s a safeguard hold, which blocks the upgrade due to compatibility issues. Over the weekend, Microsoft lifted two upgrade safeguards, including a block that prevented some Intel PCs from installing this year’s feature update.
While these upgrade blocks were originally for Windows 11 24H2, they also apply to version 25H2. As Windows Latest explained earlier, Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 are the same codebase. In other words, 25H2 is delivered to 24H2 PCs as a tiny “enablement package” that just flips version and build numbers on.
If a device was blocked on 24H2 because of a bad driver or app, it was also blocked from 25H2.
Previously, Windows Latest spotted that Microsoft placed compatibility blocks on Windows 11 23H2 with Intel Smart Sound Technology and some integrated webcams. Over the weekend, Microsoft quietly updated its documentation to confirm these issues are finally mitigated.
This means if you’re on Windows 10 or Windows 11 23H2, and Windows 11 25H2 is available in your region, you can now smoothly upgrade. If you can’t wait, you can follow our guide that tells you where and how to install Windows 11 version 25H2 using Installation Assistant or Media Creation Tool.
These upgrade blocks were applied in 2024
Windows updates always patch bugs, but these two issues are particularly interesting.
As I noted, Windows 11 25H2 = 24H2, so these upgrade blocks were originally applied for those trying to upgrade to 24H2.
The first issue was with the Intel Smart Sound Technology drivers that conflicted with new OS updates on PCs with Intel 11th-generation processors. The Intel SST is an essential audio driver without which the system audio cannot function properly.
As expected, almost a generation of the Intel lineup of PCs couldn’t upgrade to 24H2. Microsoft highlighted the problematic driver versions and suggested replacing them with compatible ones so that you can easily upgrade the OS.
Microsoft also offered the latest drives via security patches to systems, and after one year, the complete Intel 11th processor-equipped PCs are ready for the upgrade.
Camera troubles
We use the webcam for social calls or as a login mechanism for the Windows PC. But many users noticed the system and app crashes while using the camera-associated features. It included using a camera for calls, capturing a photo via the camera app, or using facial recognition to authenticate something with Windows Hello.
Microsoft implemented the compatibility block on such devices, and it’s not hard to imagine the impact on laptop users. We had no problem installing the 24H2 update on our personal and work laptops, but you just cannot rip apart the webcam to install a version update.
Since there are many OEMs, it took time before Microsoft could announce that the webcams would no longer be a problem.
24H2 was a botched launch from the start, and we hope that 25H2 isn’t as troublesome as its predecessor. We reported more than two dozen issues, most of which went away after a few months.
It included ample problems with games and anti-cheat engines, some of which continue to exist even now, general performance issues, broken app support, and more. Only time will tell if 25H2 will be a relatively calm upgrade for Intel users.
