Having trouble installing Windows 11? Here's the solution

Join the discussion: How to fix issues with Windows 11 cumulative update failed to download and install

While troubleshooting Windows 11 update issues for Windows users, the “Windows 11 installation failed” error seems to be a common occurrence on Windows PCs.

This guide will help you troubleshoot so you can successfully install Windows 11 on your own computer.

Of course, I can assist you with translating English into Chinese. Please provide the English content that needs to be translated, and I will do my best to offer you an accurate Chinese translation.

Error: Windows 11 installation failed

The "Windows 11 installation failed" error typically occurs when running the Windows installer to configure the hard drive for installing a new Windows operating system, such as Windows 11.

An unknown issue has caused or stopped the Windows 11 installation process, and this error message appears to inform the Windows user that the OS installation failed.

So, how to fix this error? Let's find out why Windows 11 isn't installing on your PC and resolve the issue right away.

Why does the installation of Windows 11 fail?

There are several possible reasons why you might not be able to successfully install Windows 11 on your computer.

You can check if your Windows 11 installation is blocked for the same reason by referring to the following list:

Reasons for "Windows 11 Installation Failed" Error:

• An external hard drive connected to the computer.
• Driver conflicts or outdated drivers.
• Your PC is incompatible with Windows 11 or doesn't meet the system requirements for Windows 11.
• A Windows 11 installation failed error during the safe OS phase.
• Error code 0xC1900101.
• This PC can't run Windows 11 due to Secure Boot, UEFI, or MBR disk issues.
• A corrupted Windows 11 ISO file or a problematic preview build was downloaded.
• And so on...

So, how to fix the error and successfully install Windows 11 on your PC? Follow the guide in the next section, and you'll troubleshoot the issue on your own. Let's move forward and see the details.

Read more: How to Fix Total Identified Windows Installations 0

How to fix the error that Windows 11 installation failed? Fix it immediately

To address the "Windows 11 install failed" error, we have a list of quick checks and a comprehensive fix plan. Work through these tips and solutions one by one to eliminate the error and complete the installation of Windows 11 on your computer.

Quick fix for the "Windows 11 installation failed" error message:

• Disconnect any external hard drives, USB drives, or SD cards from your computer.
• Update your disk drivers or uninstall/reinstall the disk drivers.
• Verify that the Windows 11 download is complete or genuine.
• Clean malware or viruses from your computer.

After that, restart your computer and try installing Windows 11 again. If the installation completes successfully, you're all set. If not, don't worry—now you can proceed to the next steps to successfully rid your PC of the “Windows 11 failed to install” error.

The following solutions can be applied to fix this error on Windows 10/8.1/8/7/XP/Vista.

Fix 1: Check and Configure Your PC for Windows 11 Compatibility Before upgrading to Windows 11, ensure that your computer meets the operating system's basic hardware requirements. Here are a few steps to verify compatibility: 1. **Check Hardware Requirements**: - Processor: 1 GHz or faster 64-bit processor (dual-core or higher) - RAM: 4 GB or more - Storage: 64 GB or more of available hard disk space - Graphics card: Graphics card compatible with DirectX 12 - TPM 2.0: Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 chip - System firmware: UEFI, Secure Boot enabled - Display: High-definition display with a diagonal size of at least 9 inches and a resolution of 800x600 2. **Run the PC Health Check App**: Microsoft offers a tool called "PC Health Check" to assess whether your device meets the Windows 11 requirements. You can download the app from the Microsoft Store or the official website. 3. **Update Drivers and BIOS**: Make sure all hardware drivers and your system BIOS are up to date. This can be done by visiting the manufacturer's website. 4. **Enable TPM**: If your PC supports TPM but it's not enabled, you may need to access the BIOS settings and enable it manually. 5. **Enable Secure Boot**: Similarly, enable Secure Boot in the BIOS settings to ensure your computer meets Windows 11's security requirements. 6. **Verify DirectX and WDDM Version**: Confirm that you have a DirectX 12-compatible graphics card installed and that the Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) version is 3.0 or higher. If all these conditions are met, your computer should be able to run Windows 11. If issues persist, consider consulting your computer manufacturer or seeking professional assistance.

Many users who can't install Windows 11 on their PCs are running into issues because their devices don't meet the Windows 11 system requirements.

So how do you check if your PC meets the specs and requirements for Windows 11? That's where the reliable PC Health Check app comes in, to check for Windows 11 compatibility.

This app will automatically check and tell you if your PC is fully compatible with Windows 11. Let's see:

Step 1. Launch AOMEI Partition Assistant and click "Toolbox".

Step 2: Click on “Windows 11 Detector” to launch the tool. Then, hit the Check Now button to start the scan.

Step 3. The Windows 11 Compatibility Results window will quickly appear, listing all of your compatible and incompatible configurations.

If the Windows 11 Installation Assistant detects issues with your PC, don't panic. You can try the suggestions here for assistance:

1. Boot method - Must use UEFI boot mode.

This message indicates that your PC isn't set up to boot in UEFI mode. To successfully install Windows 11, you should first set up your PC to boot in UEFI mode.

Enable or Disable UEFI Boot Mode

If you have problems with enabling or configuring the UEFI boot mode in Windows, here are the methods to disable or enable it in Windows.

Number 2: Disk partition type – Must use the GPT partition type.

This message indicates that the disk type you're currently trying to install Windows 11 on is MBR. However, Windows 11 requires a GPT-type disk for an upgrade or fresh installation. This is another common reason why many people encounter issues installing the latest Windows operating system on their computers.

Then, you need the Disk Convert feature in Partition Master Professional to help.

Video Tutorial: How to Convert MBR to GPT for Windows 11 Installation

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Secure Boot – Secure Boot must be enabled.

In addition to requiring UEFI boot mode, installing Windows 11 also necessitates that your computer is set up for Secure Boot. To do this, you can follow the instructions in the tutorial below:

Enable Secure Boot

In this article, we will focus on how to enable Secure Boot for Windows 11 installation.

4) TPM – TPM must be enabled.

Installation of Windows 11 also requires a TPM 2.0 chip to be enabled. See how to check and enable TPM 2.0 on your computer.

If your PC doesn't currently have or support a TPM 2.0 chip, you can also follow this guide to get around that requirement:

Download Windows 11 Without TPM 2.0

If you want to download the latest version of Windows 11 from a bootable USB on a PC that doesn't support TPM 2.0, try this method.

Once your PC is set up, you should be able to download and install Windows 11.

Fix 2: Resolves the issue where Windows 11 installation fails at the Safe_OS stage with error 0xc1900101

When you encounter the error message "Installation failed in the SAFE_OS phase, BOOT operation failed" while installing Windows 11, it could be due to a faulty external device, corrupted drivers, problematic registry entries, incorrect system settings, hardware issues, or even insufficient disk space.

Please try going through the steps in this article one by one to resolve the issue with your computer:

Step one: Unplug all external devices from your computer.

Step 2: Remove the GPU driver:

Open Device Manager > expand Display adapters > right-click on Intel(R) UHD Graphics, and select Uninstall device.

Third, startup procedures need to be improved.

Type services.msc in the Run dialog, right-click on BITS, Windows Update, and Cryptographic Services, and select Properties; set the Startup type to Automatic, and click OK.

Next up, just translate this into American English:

Step 4: Upgrade or add memory if necessary.

Step 5. Set the Active Cores in the BIOS to 1:

Enter your BIOS > Look for Active Core Settings > Change the number of processor cores to 1 > Save and exit the BIOS.

After that, restart your PC, and then try to resume the installation of Windows 11 on your device.

Solution 3: Upgrade the System Disk to Proceed with the Windows 11 Installation

Insufficient system disk space or an overly old or faulty hard drive might be barriers to successfully installing Windows 11 on your computer.

To resolve this, you can use a tool like Partition Master to upgrade the target system disk and proceed with the Windows 11 installation.

**#1. Extend the System Drive to Fix the Insufficient Disk Space Error in Windows 11** When you run out of disk space on your Windows 11 system drive, you can resolve this issue by extending the system drive. Here's how: 1. **Open Disk Management**: Right-click the Start button on the taskbar and select "Disk Management." 2. **Identify the Partition to Extend**: Find the system drive (usually drive C:) and check its remaining space. 3. **Check for Adjacent Unallocated Space**: Make sure there is unallocated space to the right of the system drive. If the adjacent partition is another drive, you may need to resize or delete it to free up unallocated space. 4. **Extend the Volume**: Right-click on the system drive and choose "Extend Volume." Follow the wizard's instructions to add the available unallocated space to the system drive. 5. **Confirm Changes**: After completing the extension process, click "Finish" to save the changes. Please note that if there is no unallocated space directly adjacent, you might need to use a third-party disk partition tool for more complex operations. When choosing software, ensure it is reliable and secure.

Step 1: Run AOMEI Partition Assistant and click "Toolbox".

Step 2: Click on “Windows 11 Detector” to activate the tool, then hit the Check Now button to start the scan.

Click on “Check now”.

Step 3. The Windows 11 Compatibility Results window will quickly appear, listing all of your compatible and incompatible settings.

#2. Upgrade/Migrate to a new SSD operating system

Fix 4: Download and install a genuine Windows 11 ISO file

A faulty or compromised Windows 11 Preview ISO file will not only prevent your computer from getting the latest operating system updates; it can also cause issues with running programs or software.

To resolve the "Windows 11 installation failed" error due to an issue with the ISO file, we recommend downloading and using a genuine build to complete the installation of Windows 11. You can utilize a tool like Win11 Builder to assist with this process.

Step #1: Create a Windows 11 installation USB

After the installation, launch OS2Go and click on the Windows USB Installer Maker option. The main screen displays the system information that it has detected, which updates in real-time. In addition to Windows 11, the Win11Installer can also download Windows 10 and Windows 8.1.

Step 2. Plug the USB drive into your computer. The Windows 11 Installation Assistant should detect it automatically, and you can click Create to proceed.

Step 3: If you're using a used USB drive, the software will wipe its data. Once the download starts, wait for it to finish, or step away and do other things for a bit.

Step 4. Once the Windows 11 ISO image has successfully downloaded to your USB drive, follow the on-screen instructions to install Windows 11 on your computer from the bootable USB drive.

Method 2: Clean Install Windows 11 from a USB Drive

Step one: Restart your computer and enter its BIOS, setting the USB drive as the bootable device.

Step two: The computer will boot from the USB drive and walk you through installing the new operating system.

Step 3: Choose your language, time and currency formats, and keyboard or input method, then tap “Next.”

Step 4. Click Install Now to proceed.

5. Click I don't have a product key to continue.

Step 6. Choose the edition of Windows 11 you want to install, then click Next to proceed.

Step 7: Accept the Microsoft license terms, and then click Next.

Step 8: Click on the new disk and select “Custom: Install only Windows.”

Step 9: Select the operating system disk, then click Next to continue.

Step 10: Wait for the installation to finish, and your computer will restart automatically.

Then, follow the onscreen instructions to set up your Mac. If your Mac doesn't start up from the new disk, see the next guide to enable it and set up target disk mode.

Frequently Asked Questions About Installing Windows 11

Even if you don't know why you're getting the “Windows 11 install failed” error, you can simply go through the solutions on this page to successfully install Windows 11 on your PC.

Aside from this issue, users have encountered other types of errors while installing Windows 11. If you're facing a similar problem, proceed to check the solutions below:

**How to Fix Windows 11 Installation Stuck at 35%, 85%, or 100%?**

Don't worry when you try to upgrade to Windows 11 but get stuck during the installation process. You can find effective solutions to fix Windows 11 getting stuck at 35%, 85%, 100%, and more.

How do I fix the black screen issue on Windows 11?

The Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) in Windows 11 displays an error message stating "Your PC ran into a problem and needs to restart" along with a specific error code, such as CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED or VIDEO_TDR_TIMEOUT_DETECTED. You can resolve this issue by restarting your computer in Safe Mode, uninstalling problematic drivers, fixing the BCD, or performing a virus scan.

See how to fix it:

Fix Windows 11 Blue Screen Errors

The blue screen of death in Windows 11 can be caused by various reasons. Follow the content below to find out the causes and solutions for Windows 11 BIOS errors on your own.

3. How to fix insufficient space for Windows 11 updates?

The "Windows Update needs more space" error can occur when your old computer's system drive has very little free space left. You can fix this by deleting old Windows files, cleaning up system junk, freeing up more space on the C: drive, or even merging a large partition into C:.

Among these fixes, extending C drive space will work immediately and you can use a tool called Partition Master to help you with that.