Azure Windows VM update failed in the SAFE_OS phase with an error during the BOOT operation

Question

Got this message after running a Windows in-place upgrade from 2016 to 2022:

0xC1900101 - 0x20017 The installation failed in the SAFE_OS phase with an error during the BOOT operation

The C: drive has 100G free.  I checked to make sure a B2s instance size supports windows 2022 (it does).  Nothing in the Event Logs seems to help identify the issue.  Dism /online /cleanup-image /Checkhealth doesn't show any problems.   No antivirus is running.  Wondering if it's a driver issue?  There IS one "unknown device" in device manager that has a warning on it, but I have no idea what device it is.   Any ideas why what I can do to make this upgrade work?

TIA!

Answer 1

Hi ckunkel,

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A Platform! Thank you for asking your question here.

The unknown device in Device Manager could be causing the upgrade to fail. Ensure all drivers are up to date, especially for critical components like storage, chipset, and graphics. Run the Windows Upgrade Assistant or SetupDiag tool to check for compatibility issues.

Please refer below documents which has helped others to resolve the issue:
0xC1900101 – 0x20017, Installation failed in SAFE_OS phase with an error during BOOT operation
0xC1900101 - 0x20017 Installation failed during safe OS phase with an error during boot operation
How do I fix 0xC1900101-0x20017 the installation failed in the SAFE_OS phase with error during boot operation
FIX: Windows 11 24H2 0XC1900101 – 0x20017 installation error.

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