14 DAY TRIAL // One of the upgrade blocks that prevented users from upgrading their eligible devices to Windows 11 affected those computers running VirtualBox.
Microsoft came across a compatibility issue between VirtualBox and Windows 11, so the company set up an upgrade block that therefore prevented the impacted devices from being offered the new OS.
“Microsoft and Oracle have found a compatibility issue between VirtualBox and Windows 11, when Hyper-V or Windows Hypervisor is installed. You might be unable to start Virtual machines (VMs) and you might receive an error. To safeguard your upgrade experience, we have applied a compatibility hold on these devices from installing or being offered Windows 11. If your organization is using Update Compliance, the safeguard ID is 35004082,” Microsoft originally announced.
Earlier this month, however, the company confirmed the problem has been resolved with a software update released by Oracle.
Update available for VirtualBox
In other words, the most recent version of VirtualBox resolves the Windows 11 compatibility issue, so make sure you install it before moving to the new OS version.
“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. Please note, if there are no other safeguards that affect your device, it can take up to 48 hours before the update to Windows 11, version 21H2 is offered,” Microsoft explains.
If you don’t have VirtualBox but Windows 11 still isn’t available, Microsoft says there’s something else that needs to be checked.
“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. If you have any applications that use or create VMs or system images, you might need to update or uninstall them to remove this safeguard hold,” the company says.