Windows 10 May 2019 Update Is Tripping On Some AMD Ryzen PCs, Here's How To Fix It
Running into at least one annoying issue seems to be a right of passage for Microsoft's twice annual updates for Windows 10—the big ones that add new features. So it goes with the May 2019 Update. Having just started rolling out earlier this week, a known issue with certain AMD Ryzen and Threadripper PCs has cropped up.
Affected users are met with an error message when attempting to either clean install Windows 10 version 1903, or update their PC to the latest build by way of the May 2019 Update.
"AMD Ryzen or AMD Ryzen Threadripper configured in SATA or NVMe RAID mode.
A driver is installed that causes stability problems on Windows. This driver will be disabled. Check with your software/driver provider for an updated version that runs on this version of Windows," the error message states.
Microsoft explains in a related support document that certain versions of AMD's RAID drivers are not compatible with the May 2019 Update. AMD explains things further in a support document of its own, saying that build 1903 contains new Device Input/Output Control (IOCTL) requirements for certain categories of device drivers.
"If a user attempts a clean install of Windows 10 May 2019 Update using device drivers that do not meet the new requirements, the PC may fail to reach the Windows desktop environment. If a user attempts a Windows Update upgrade from Windows 10 October 2018 Update (version 1809) to Windows 10 May 2019 Update, the update will be blocked until updated RAID drivers are installed," AMD explains.
Fortunately, the fix is rather easy. If running an affected setup and attempting to apply the May 2019 Update, the user must first download and install the latest RAID driver (found here), currently 9.2.0.105.
For those attempting a clean install, the user must prepare a removable storage device containing the latest driver. These users can download and extract the latest driver package (found here) onto the removable device. It contains just the files necessary to proceed with installation, enabling the affected PC to boot to the desktop.
"Version 9.2.0.105 and later versions of the AMD RAID drivers do not cause this issue. A computer that has these drivers installed can receive the May 2019 update," Microsoft says.
While a bit annoying, the situation so far is better than it was for the October 2018 Update, which proved so problematic that Microsoft ended up yanking it offline while it investigated and resolved reported problems. This time around, Microsoft is taking a measured approached to rolling out the May 2019 Update, so you may or may not see it available in Windows Update.
