Windows 11 Update from Version 24H2 to 25H2

Professional system administrator’s guide: how to quickly and safely update Windows 11 to version 25H2 (2025 update)

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Introduction

Windows 11 version 25H2 (build 26200) is the second major update of 2025, containing new features, security improvements, and performance enhancements. This guide is designed for system administrators and experienced users who want to perform a controlled update.

Pre-Update Prerequisites

Mandatory Checks:

Current system version: Ensure you have Windows 11 24H2 (build 26100.xxxx or newer) installed
- Press Win + R, type winver
- Or run in PowerShell: Get-ComputerInfo | Select-Object WindowsProductName, WindowsVersion, OsHardwareAbstractionLayer
Free disk space: Minimum 10 GB of free space required
- Check: Get-PSDrive C | Select-Object Used, Free
Backup: Create a system restore point
- PowerShell: Checkpoint-Computer -Description "Pre-25H2-Update" -RestorePointType MODIFY_SETTINGS
Close all applications: Especially antivirus and security systems

Update Methods

Option 1: Windows Update Center (Recommended)

Settings → Windows Update → Check for updates

Automatic method, suitable for most users.

Option 2: Media Creation Tool (MCT)

Download the official tool from Microsoft.

Option 3: PowerShell Script (For Advanced Users)

PowerShell Script Update

Method Benefits:

Controlled installation process
Automatic digital signature verification
Detailed logging
Flexible restart parameters
Download retry support

PowerShell Installation and Configuration

1. PowerShell Version Check

$PSVersionTable.PSVersion

Requires version 5.1 or higher.

2. Execution Policy Configuration

# Check current policy
Get-ExecutionPolicy -List

# Temporary script execution permission (for current session)
Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope Process -Force

# Or permanent permission (only for trusted environments)
Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser -Force

3. Update Script Download

Method A: Direct download

# Create directory for script
$ScriptPath = "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\Win11-25H2-Update"
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $ScriptPath -Force

# Download script
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/paulmann/Windows-11-25H2-Update-Script/main/Upgrade-Win11-To-25H2.ps1" -OutFile "$ScriptPath\Upgrade-Win11-To-25H2.ps1" -UseBasicParsing

Method B: Manual download

Open https://github.com/paulmann/Windows-11-25H2-Update-Script
Click on the Upgrade-Win11-To-25H2.ps1 file
Click the «Raw» button
Save the page as Upgrade-Win11-To-25H2.ps1

Update Script Execution

Basic Run (with Restart Prompt)

# Navigate to script directory
Set-Location "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\Win11-25H2-Update"

# Run as administrator
.\Upgrade-Win11-To-25H2.ps1

Advanced Run Parameters

With automatic restart:

.\Upgrade-Win11-To-25H2.ps1 -Reboot Force

Without restart:

.\Upgrade-Win11-To-25H2.ps1 -Reboot None

With increased download retry attempts:

.\Upgrade-Win11-To-25H2.ps1 -RetryCount 5 -RetryDelaySec 10

Full parameter set:

powershell.\Upgrade-Win11-To-25H2.ps1 -Reboot Prompt -RetryCount 3 -RetryDelaySec 5

Update Process Monitoring

The script automatically creates a detailed log:

C:\ProgramData\Win11-25H2\Upgrade_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.log

For real-time monitoring:

Get-Content "C:\ProgramData\Win11-25H2\Upgrade_20250923_232615.log" -Wait

Update Success Verification

After the script completes, check:

System version: powershellsysteminfo | Select-String "OS Version"
Build number: powershell(Get-ItemProperty "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion").CurrentBuild
Installation status: powershellGet-WindowsUpdateLog -Latest | Select-String "25H2|26200" -Context 3

Troubleshooting

Error: «Script cannot be loaded»

# Solution: Unblock script
Unblock-File -Path ".\Upgrade-Win11-To-25H2.ps1"

Error: «Administrator rights missing»

# Solution: Run PowerShell as administrator
Start-Process PowerShell -Verb RunAs -ArgumentList "-File `".\Upgrade-Win11-To-25H2.ps1`""

File download error

# Increase retry attempts and delay
.\Upgrade-Win11-To-25H2.ps1 -RetryCount 5 -RetryDelaySec 15

wusa.exe error codes and solutions:

Error Code	Description	Solution
0x80240017	Update not applicable	Check version compatibility
0x80070005	Access denied	Run as administrator
0x80070070	Insufficient space	Free up disk space

Additional Diagnostic Commands

Update history check

Get-WinEvent -LogName "Microsoft-Windows-WindowsUpdateClient/Operational" -MaxEvents 10

Installed updates check

Get-HotFix | Sort-Object InstalledOn -Descending | Select-Object -First 5

Real-time installation monitoring

Get-Process -Name "wusa" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

Security

The script includes the following security measures:

Microsoft digital signature verification
File hash validation
Logging of all actions
Temporary file cleanup

Corporate Environment Recommendations

Testing: Deploy the update on a test group
Scheduling: Perform during non-business hours
Notification: Inform users about restart requirements
Rollback: Have a rollback plan ready

Support

Error logs: Provide log file when contacting support
Community: GitHub Issues
Documentation: Official Microsoft documentation

This professional translation maintains all technical accuracy while adapting the content for an American English-speaking system administrator audience. All PowerShell commands, registry paths, and error codes remain unchanged to preserve functionality.