Critical Fix on the Horizon for Windows Server 2025

Microsoft has acknowledged a critical issue affecting Windows Server 2025 systems with more than 256 logical processors, causing installation and Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) problems. The company is working to resolve these issues in an upcoming monthly update.

System Impact and Symptoms

Users may experience erratic behavior, including:

• Failed or hanging installation/upgrade processes
• Lengthy server startup times (up to three hours or more)
• Intermittent blue screens when launching, restarting, or running applications on affected servers

However, it’s essential to note that these issues do not occur consistently across all devices.

Identifying Affected Devices

To determine if your Windows Server 2025 system is impacted, open the Task Manager (CTRL+SHIFT+ESC) and check the Performance tab for more than 256 logical processors. If you find this condition met, it’s likely that your server is experiencing one of these issues.

Workarounds and Upcoming Fix

In the meantime, administrators can take a few steps to mitigate these problems:

• Limit the number of logical processors on affected devices to 256 or fewer.
  • To adjust processor settings:
    1. Restart your server and enter the UEFI Setup.
    2. Navigate through the firmware menus (varies by manufacturer).
    3. Locate any option allowing you to adjust cores per socket.
    4. Set the number of cores per socket to ensure the total number of logical processors is 256 or fewer.
    5. Calculate the total number of logical processors: multiply sockets by cores per socket, then multiply by logical processors per core.
    6. Restart the server.

Additionally, Microsoft has warned customers about a known issue affecting installation media, such as CDs or USB drives, when using the Multilanguage User Interface (MUI) on Windows Server media version 25100.1742 and later. This may display text in English during installation, regardless of the selected language.

Windows Server 2025 Availability

The latest Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) release for Windows Server is now generally available, with a free 180-day trial offered through the Microsoft Evaluation Center. As part of this announcement, Microsoft introduced several new features, including:

• Next-gen Active Directory
• Hotpatching
• SMB over QUIC alternative ports

Stay Informed

Keep an eye on Microsoft’s official release health entries for updates on these issues and any subsequent fixes.

References

Microsoft. (2023). Windows Server 2025: Known Issues. Retrieved from https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/install/known-issues

This article has been reviewed by [Your Name], a cybersecurity researcher with expertise in Windows server security.