Security News > 2022 > March > Microsoft removes Windows 11 update block for VirtualBox users

Microsoft has removed the last Windows 11 safeguard hold after Oracle addressed a known VirtualBox issue causing errors and virtual machine start failures when Hyper-V or the Windows Hypervisor were installed.

Safeguard holds prevent users from upgrading to Windows 11 to protect their systems against potential upgrade issues, in this case, software instability caused by compatibility issues between Windows and VirtualBox.

"Oracle has resolved this issue in VirtualBox 6.1.28 and later. To remove the safeguard hold on your device, you will need to update to VirtualBox 6.1.28 or later," Microsoft explained in a note added to the Windows health dashboard over the weekend.

Redmond applied the update block to all devices running Virtualbox since the day Windows 11 was released following user reports of compatibility issues with Oracle's virtualization software.

"If you do not have VirtualBox installed but are receiving this safeguard hold, you might have an application that is based on VirtualBox or which has bundled VirtualBox within their installation," Microsoft added.

While Oracle worked on addressing this issue, Redmond also provided a workaround to enable impacted customers to mitigate the safeguard hold, requiring them to uninstall Hyper-V, Windows Hypervisor, or VirtualBox to receive the Windows 11 upgrade.

News URL

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-removes-windows-11-update-block-for-virtualbox-users/