Wind 11 ARM on Fusion 13 for Mac won't update

[HelgeBecker]

I am unable to install the latest updates on my VMs.
2023-10 Cumulative Update for Windows 11 Version 23H2 for arm64-based Systems (KB5031354)

Download error - 0x8024a206

Went to through a lot of guides to fix this by reseting caches up to the point where I let windows recover the virtual machine (deleting everything, downloading windows and installing fresh,

Still is the system unable to update.

Any idea what might go wrong?

[Technogeezer]

What build of Windows 11 ARM are you using (check it with winver.exe?)

This is more likely a Microsoft issue rather than a Fusion issue. Have you tried manually downloading the update from the Microsoft Update catalog https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=KB5031354 and trying to install it?

[Technogeezer]

And just FYI, I just checked and my Windows 11 ARM VM has updated itself successfully to 2023-10 Cumulative Update for Windows 11 Version 22H2 for arm64-based Systems (KB5031354). It's currently running 22621.2428 and it's in the process of updating itself to the 2023-10 Cumulative Update Preview KB5031455)

[markb0033]

hello, has anyone firgured out why windows update fails even when installing .msu manually?

[Technogeezer]

Let's start with the basics:

• What kind of error are you getting when trying to install the update?
• Which language of Windows 11 are you using?
• What is the "msu" that you're trying to apply and where did you get it?
• What build of Windows are you currently using - and trying to apply the update against?
• Have you tried to run DISM to diagnose your Windows installation for any potential problems?
• Have you tried booting Windows to safe mode and trying the installation?
• Do you have sufficient disk available space to apply the update?

I think it's more likely that there's something amiss with the Windows installation in your virtual machine than something up with Fusion.

You're going to have to diagnose why the msu is failing to update - the update is working fine for others. 

[markb0033]

Hi Paul,

Got this when running windows update. Ran the troubleshooter. 

Error code 0x800f0991 and 0x800f0983

current build: Version 22H2: OS Build 22621.2215)

got the MSU of KB5031455 from microsoft update catalog site.

ran dism /restorehealth /cleanup 

booting in to safe mode is a little bit of a hassle since it disables VMWare tools and thus the display is not really usable. 

have ample space: 70.1 GB used of 128 GB.

Thanks for any other advice you can offer. 

[Technogeezer]

I'm grasping at straws on this - but still think there's something Microsoft-ey going on here as over the years Windows has for one inexplicable reason or another had issues with installing updates.

If you're trying to install the KB5031455 updater, that's the 2023-10 Cumulative Update Preview. That's a good jump in versions, since the 22621.2215 you're running is the 2023-08 Cumulative Update Preview release.

Let's try this step by step, update by update. Did you try to update to the 2023-09 Cumulative Update KB5030219  (from the Microsoft Update Catalog https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=KB5030219 first  which would be the next update beyond what you're running to see if it has any issues?

Off-the-wall quiestion: Do you have a TPM device configured to the virtual machine?

I'd only suggest booting to safe mode long enough to try to install the update. 

[markb0033]

Thanks for the response. I rebuilt my VM recently switching from a different platform to VMWare. This meant my new install of Windows 11 already had the 2023-09 cumulative update at the time of install.

This is the first update I am running through Windows update.

I removed the TPM encryption as I read on a forum that would help, in which it didn't. So no, as of right now, no TPM is configured on the VM. My current "encryption" settings are below.

I'll try again with safe mode, hopefully there is a way to change the resolution or else I can't see the whole window. 

[markb0033]

unfortunately, in safe mode I get that something went wrong. I am going to try to install WIndows update through powershell...maybe?

[markb0033]

Wow this sure is a tricky one. Even in safe mode, Windows update service can't be started. that's why the running windows update won't work. Running through powershell, everything else installs but the actual cumulative update. 

[HelgeBecker]

VMWare Fusion Player Version 13.5.0 (22583790)

Windows 11 ARM
Version 23H2 (OS Build 22631.2048)
It is not a Insider Preview.

Softwareupdate tries to install:
2023-10 Cumulative Update for Windows 11 Version 23H2 for arm64-based Systems (KB5031354)

Results in:
Install error - 0x800f081f

Manual download and installing fails too. Tried various reset approaches up to the point where Windows was asked to delete everything and reinstall using internet download.

[HelgeBecker]

Could you kindly quit hijacking other peoples threads?

[Technogeezer]

---

@HelgeBecker wrote:

VMWare Fusion Player Version 13.5.0 (22583790)

Windows 11 ARM
Version 23H2 (OS Build 22631.2048)
It is not a Insider Preview.

Softwareupdate tries to install:
2023-10 Cumulative Update for Windows 11 Version 23H2 for arm64-based Systems (KB5031354)

Results in:
Install error - 0x800f081f

Manual download and installing fails too. Tried various reset approaches up to the point where Windows was asked to delete everything and reinstall using internet download.

---

22631 Windows releases are not Windows release channel releases. They are Windows 11 Insider Preview releases in the Beta channel. What you have is a Windows Beta channel release from July with features slated for 23H2 enabled.  (FYI Windows 11 23H2 isn't in the release channel yet - it's still in the beta channel). 

You're trying to make a multi-version jump in Windows versions to the 2023-10 Cumulative Update (22631.2428)  And the beta channel has moved on from 22631 to 22635. Has Windows offered any other feature updates other than the KB5031354?

My feeling is that this is a Microsoft update issue, not a Fusion issue. I've searched the Microsoft boards and there are people complaining about the same issue - and they're on physical machines, not virtual machines.  My gut feeling is that this is an update sequencing issue that Microsoft doesn't quite have right - for some reason the cumulative update has issues if you have missed intervening updates. But my gut has been wrong before...

If you can't fix it any other way using the information on-line, your recourse may be to perform a Windows reinstall (preserving your user files) from the released 22H2 media. If you do that, you might want to consider using the released 22H2 ISO downloaded using the VMware tool present in Fusion 13.5.

Or build a new VM and backup/restore the files from the old VM.

[HelgeBecker]

Thank you. That is a very helpful information.
I did not try to do a multi-version jump, but that does not rule out that I accidental made one.
Not used to distrust offered first party updates. 

I will see if I manage to recover from there.

I own a Win 11 Pro license. Is there a way to get that installed without involving the insider preview?

Or should I stick to the insider preview?
What is your experience on that?

[Technogeezer · Accepted solution]

If it were me, I'd use the tool built into Fusion 13.5 to build a release channel Windows 11 22H2 ISO from Microsoft (same as what Parallels does). Then install from that and stay on the release channel. There's really no need for the majority of people to be running anything other than the release channel versions - especially now that Fusion 13.5 has a built in mechanism to obtain release channel ISO of Windows 11 ARM "from Microsoft". 

That being said, I've also successfully installed the Insider Preview Beta Channel release by converting the VHDX file found on the Windows Insider web site. That will put you on the Beta Channel flights and updates as Microsoft releases updates to the Beta channel. I keep it around for testing and making sure that things work as Microsoft updates Windows.  I;'ve kept those up to date religiously whenever the updates have been offered (it started out on 22621 releases, and I installed the optional 22331 version to enable the beta features. That in turn got updated recently to 22635 as Microsoft decided to release many of the 23H2 features as an update to the 22H2 release channel. 

[HelgeBecker]

Was about to say. Downloading release chancel is new.
Going to do a clean install. Thank you for your help

[Technogeezer]

---

@HelgeBecker wrote:

Was about to say. Downloading release chancel is new.
Going to do a clean install. Thank you for your help

---

Yes it is a new feature of Fusion 13.5. Before that you had to use either CrystalFetch or the w11arm_esd2iso command line utility to download the release channel version of Windows 11 ARM from Microsoft. The Fusion feature is a better choice because it also injects the VMware video and network drivers into the ISO (Microsoft doesn't iinclude them like they do for x64 Windows).. That makes the setup go a lot more smoothly (no need to manually install drivers early in the Setup process).

However, there is a bug in the tool if you're using  the GUI version and you have a  non-English system language on macOS. See https://communities.vmware.com/t5/VMware-Fusion-Discussions/VM-Fusion-13-5-Esd2iso-can-t-get-URL-for... for a workaround.