Microsoft lifts Windows 11 upgrade block after Asphalt 8 crash fix

Microsoft has lifted an upgrade block that prevented Asphalt 8: Airborne players from upgrading their systems to Windows 11 24H2 due to compatibility issues.

According to its Microsoft Store entry, the game has over 322,000 ratings and 470 million players across all supported platforms.

As the company explained when it first acknowledged this known issue in October, the game was freezing with an error while playing after updating to the latest Windows 11 version, requiring a game restart to recover.

“After installing Windows 11, version 24H2, you might face issues with Asphalt 8 (Airborne). The game might stop responding with an exception while you are using or exiting it, and you will have to restart the game to recover from the exception,” Microsoft said.

Redmond added a compatibility hold (safeguard ID 52796746) to prevent the Windows 11 2024 Update from being offered to Windows 11 22H2 and 23H2 devices affected by this issue.

Affected gamers were also advised not to manually upgrade their systems using the Windows 11 Installation Assistant or the Media Creation Tool until these problems were addressed.

“If you are trying to install Windows 11, version 24H2 through the media creation tool and your device has incompatible drivers, you will receive a pop-up message alerting that your device is not ready for this new version of Windows,” the company said.

Upgrade block removed

In an update to the Windows release health dashboard on Wednesday, Microsoft said the known issue has now been resolved, and the associated safeguard hold has been lifted.

“It may take up to 48 hours for the Windows 11, version 24H2 update to be offered in the Windows Update in Settings. Restarting your device might expedite the process,” the company added.

In October, Microsoft added another Windows 11 24H2 update block because of a compatibility issue with the Easy Anti-Cheat app that gets automatically installed with some games.

This known issue impacts only systems with Intel Alder Lake+ processors and the vPro platform, and it may cause blue screens with the “MEMORY_MANAGEMENT” error message when opening or playing some games if using older Easy Anti-Cheat drivers released before April 2024.

In recent weeks, Microsoft removed another safeguard hold preventing AutoCAD users from installing the Windows 11 2024 Update due to launch and crash issues and released a BIOS update to fix blue screen issues on some ASUS devices blocking Windows 11 24H2 upgrades.

It also lifted an upgrade block preventing PCs with Auto HDR enabled from installing the Windows 11 2024 Update due to gaming issues.

Microsoft is still working on lifting other safeguard holds prompted by incompatibility issues affecting devices with Dirac audio improvement software, integrated cameras, or Safe Exam Browser and wallpaper customization applications.