If you are seeing your Windows Deployment Services WDS operating system installs stall on the WINDOWS IS LOADING FILES screen and then errors out with:
Windows Failed To Start
…
Status 0xc0000001
Required Device Isn’t Connected or Can’t Be Accessed
then have we got a fix for you!
To get to the point, it appears that in March 2019 Windows Update Patch KB4489882 and/or KB4489881 tighted up security on the TFTP (Trivial FTP) that WDS requires to transfer files to PC’s. In the unlikely event you want more details see CVE-2019-0603.
The fix is a simple change in your WDS configuration:
- Launch the Windows Deployment Services console
- Expand SERVER
- Right click on your server and select PROPERTIES
- Select the TFTP tab
- uncheck ENABLE VARIABLE WINDOW EXTENSION and click OK
- Launch the SERVICES console
- Restart your WINDOWS DEPLOYMENT SERVICES SERVER service
- Try your deployment again
If you still have problems we found others had several different fixes that may help you:
- Start (or restart) the WINDOWS LICENSE MANAGER SERVICE
- Reduce the network speed on your NIC or on the switch port it is connected to to 100MB Full Duplex
- Update the drivers available in WDS for the NIC you are using on the client PC
- Uninstall KB4489982 and/or KB4489881 (not likely possible on Server 2016 / 2019)
- Reboot your WDS server restart everything
In my case, we had just upgraded all of my customers network switches and found a few days later that our WDS had the WINDOWS IS LOADING FILES / REQUIRED DEVICE ISN’T CONNECTED failure so I was quiet sure it was related to the switches… I was wrong. The problem was the patch.
4 Comments
Damian · November 7, 2022 at 4:15 am
Thanks great help keep up the good work
Exit151 · December 20, 2020 at 4:39 pm
Just wanted to say thanks – The TFTP tab edits fixed my issue, appreciate it!
Alex Torrens · July 14, 2020 at 3:29 pm
i still get this error,
– i have unchecked and set it to 4096 and left variable window extension unchecked and restarted services
– i have left it as default 0 with option checked(like it was before)
– I have checked and i have no march 2019 updates installed
popinha13 · April 3, 2020 at 7:10 pm
This solved for me
”
Launch the Windows Deployment Services console
Expand SERVER
Right click on your server and select PROPERTIES
Select the TFTP tab
uncheck ENABLE VARIABLE WINDOW EXTENSION and click OK
Launch the SERVICES console
Restart your WINDOWS DEPLOYMENT SERVICES SERVER service
Try your deployment again
”
And set maximum block size to 0