Microsoft has stopped Microsoft’s Windows 11 22H2 upgrade from being made available to certain systems that have Intel Smart Sound Technology (SST) audio drivers.
Redmond also placed a safety put in place to prevent this problem is well-known and causes Blue Screens of Death (BSODs) on systems that are affected.
“Intel along with Microsoft have discovered compatibility issues with specific versions of the drivers that support Intel Smart Sound Technology (Intel SST) on Intel 11th Gen Core processors and Windows 11,” Microsoft announced in an Windows Health dashboard update.
“Windows 11 devices that have this infected Intel SST driver might receive an error message with an unblue screen.”
Intel SST is an integrated audio DSP (Digital Signal Processor) that allows the company’s most recent Core as well as Atom processors to process audio as well as voice and speech interactions without a performance loss.
Microsoft suggests not to manually upgrade affected systems with Windows 11, 22H2, with Media Creation Tool Media Creation Tool or the “Update Now” button until the issue is solved and the security feature is removed.
“The targeted driver is called Intel Smart Sound Technology (Intel SST) Audio Controller in System Devices in Device Manager and will have an file name IntcAudioBus.sys and a Version 10.29.0.5152 or 10.29.0.5152 and 10.30.0.5152,” Microsoft explained.
The same issue has led to an incompatibility hold that prevents users who want to upgrade their Windows operating system as of November 2021.
Workaround for some affected systems
Microsoft stated that some affected Windows 11 customers might be capable of resolving this issue by verifying that Intel has an up-to-date driver for their devices.
“To reduce the security it is necessary to verify with the manufacturer of your device (OEM) to find out whether there is an updated driver available and then install it. The issue can be resolved by changing your Intel Smart Sound Technology drivers to version of 10.30.00.5714 and up or 10.29.00.5714 or later.” Microsoft said.
“Once you’ve updated to an updated version of Intel Smart Sound Technology drivers you are in a position to upgrade into Windows 11.”
If you can’t locate an updated driver which addresses the issue, it is best to contact the manufacturer of your device (OEM) for more details.
After you have updated on the damaged Intel SST audio driver, it could be approximately 48 to 72 hours before you are able to download an update to Windows 11 2022 Update.
This Windows 11 22H2 update is also having a major performance issue for systems that have NVIDIA GPUs. Users are experiencing a stutter and a huge lag when playing games due to significant decreases in CPU utilization.
NVIDIA acknowledges this well-known issue and has released an GeForce Experience Beta version that will fix problems with performance.
