After Microsoft accidentally stuck an incorrect label on Windows Server 2025, the update began to install itself automatically, with potentially nasty consequences.
Windows and updates are often synonymous with trouble. This time it is not Windows 11 24H2 that is giving IT administrators gray hairs, but Windows Server 2025. Microsoft rolled out the new version of the server operating system in early November and to the (unpleasant) surprise of customers, the upgrade had installed itself automatically, as is reported on Reddit.
Wrong label
The cause of the problem appeared to be on Microsoft’s side. Microsoft provides each update with a KB number. Microsoft mislabeled the update, causing third-party update management software to see the update as a weekday security update, not a system upgrade. Windows Server 2025 could also be unintentionally installed via a banner in settings.
An automatic and unsolicited OS upgrade can have very unpleasant consequences in certain situations. Windows Server 2025 is a completely new operating system compared to Server 2019 and Server 2022. Suppose a server does not meet the hardware requirements to run the OS or you do not have the correct license, you may be left with servers that no longer work.
read also
Windows 11 24H2 available on multiple PCs, after upgrade blockages lifted
Microsoft intervened on Nov. 7 by recalling the update that triggered the upgrade. According to Microsoft, this fixed the problem, although the company says it is “working with third-party vendors to streamline recommended procedures. Whether customers and partners will forgive Microsoft this mistake so easily is another matter.
Thus, for now, it is unclear whether Microsoft will offer a tool to undo the update. Until it does, companies that were unable to prevent the installation of Windows Server 2025 are stuck with an unsolicited and possibly even unwanted update. That an update that comes with potential additional costs was pushed out as an optional update will not go down well with Microsoft.
Newer and better
For those who do want the upgrade, Windows Server 2025 brings numerous security, flexibility and performance improvements over the previous version. Windows Server 2025 will be supported through Oct. 10, 2029; security updates will roll in for up to five more years, ending on Oct. 10, 2034.