"The computer restarted unexpectedly..." loop on Lenovo IdeaPads

SoWhy

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Hi there,


I've been using NTLite for a while to customize our Windows 11 image for both virtual machines and laptops and it has worked quite well for a long time. However, with a new batch of Lenovo IdeaPads, the installation will always enter a "The computer restarted unexpectedly or encountered an unexpected error. Windows installation cannot proceed" loop. I've noticed this on both 15ARP10 and 16ABR8 models that I tried to install using an ISO I've made in July that so far worked well on other models (including 16ABR8's of the same Type 82XR that I bought two months ago). Apparently Lenovo changed something in their hardware recently that trips up the Windows 11 install file that NTLite created or requires something that I removed, although I can't make heads or tails out of the setuperr.log:


Code:
2025-12-18 21:33:15, Error                 MOUPG  CMoSetupOneSettingsHelperT<class CEmptyType>::InitializeSettings(324): Result = 0x80072EE7

2025-12-18 21:33:15, Error                 MOUPG  CSetupHost::InitializeOneSettings(1551): Result = 0x80072EE7

2025-12-18 21:33:15, Error                 MOUPG  SetupHost: OneSettings initialization failed: [0x80072EE7]

2025-12-18 21:33:15, Error                 MOUPG  CSetupManager::GetWuIdFromRegistry(12425): Result = 0x80070002

2025-12-18 21:33:15, Error                 MOUPG  CDlpActionProductKeyValidate::ReportDownlevelInstallChannel(3664): Result = 0x80070490

2025-12-18 21:33:15, Error                 MOUPG  ProductKey: Failed to report Host OS channel to telemetry.

2025-12-18 21:33:18, Error                 CONX   hwreqchk: ERROR,Windows::Compat::HardwareRequirements::HardwareRequirementSettings::IsMeteredConnection,29,Failed to get NetworkCostType assuming metered network [0x80040154].


2025-12-18 21:33:18, Error                 CONX   hwreqchk: ERROR,Windows::Compat::HardwareRequirements::HardwareRequirementSettings::GetSettingsFromEndpoint,244,Failed to retrieve Sqm DeviceId: [0x80070002].


2025-12-18 21:33:18, Error                 CONX   hwreqchk: ERROR,Windows::Compat::HardwareRequirements::HardwareRequirementSettings::GetSettings,94,Failed to get settings from endpoint [0x80070002].


2025-12-18 21:33:18, Error                 CONX   hwreqchk: ERROR,ProcessJson,606,Unable to GetSettings [0x80070002]


2025-12-18 21:33:18, Error                 CONX   hwreqchk: ERROR,Windows::Compat::HardwareRequirements::HardwareRequirementSettings::IsMeteredConnection,29,Failed to get NetworkCostType assuming metered network [0x80040154].


2025-12-18 21:33:18, Error                 CONX   hwreqchk: ERROR,Windows::Compat::HardwareRequirements::HardwareRequirementSettings::GetSettingsFromEndpoint,244,Failed to retrieve Sqm DeviceId: [0x80070002].


2025-12-18 21:33:18, Error                 CONX   hwreqchk: ERROR,Windows::Compat::HardwareRequirements::HardwareRequirementSettings::GetSettings,94,Failed to get settings from endpoint [0x80070002].


2025-12-18 21:33:18, Error                 CONX   hwreqchk: ERROR,ProcessJson,606,Unable to GetSettings [0x80070002]


2025-12-18 21:33:19, Error                 MOUPG  CDlpResponseInstallLocation::ObtainData(122): Result = 0x8007000D

2025-12-18 21:33:19, Error                 MOUPG  CDlpActionDiskManagement::GetDriveLetterFromUnattend(877): Result = 0x8007000D

2025-12-18 21:38:41, Error                 MOUPG  CDlpActionDiskManagement::DeletePartitionAsync(716): Result = 0x80070057

2025-12-18 21:39:14, Error                 SP     CNewSystem::PreInitialize: FveCheckSuspendBitLockerOnUpgrade failed: 0x8031004a, assuming auto-unlock is not supported

2025-12-18 21:41:50, Error                 IBSLIB     BCD: Failed to add system store from file. File: \Device\HarddiskVolume7\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\BCD Status: c000000f[gle=0x00000002]

2025-12-18 21:41:50, Error                 SP         BFSVC: AddBootmgrLast and PreserveBootOrder options are ignored when custom volume is specified

2025-12-18 21:41:51, Error                 SP         BFSVC: AddBootmgrLast and PreserveBootOrder options are ignored when custom volume is specified

2025-12-18 21:41:51, Error                        Service DiagTrack is not available

2025-12-18 21:42:35, Error                            [SetupPlatform.exe] System disks found

2025-12-18 21:43:37, Error                        [setup.exe] System disks found

2025-12-18 21:43:48, Error                        [setup.exe] [Action Queue] : Unattend action failed with exit code 4

2025-12-18 21:43:48, Error                        [setup.exe] Execution of unattend GCs failed; hr = 0x0; pResults->hrResult = 0x8030000b


My setup file is set to skip everything but the disk selection which I want to have because the ISO is used on different computers with different disk layouts.

However, since a "clean" Windows 11 ISO will install successfully, I'm pretty sure something in autounattend.xml trips it up. Can someone give me a headsup *what* it might be?

TIA
SoWhy
 

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When you specify [Prompt] or %SERIAL% on NTLite's Unattended page, it requests NTLite insert a small custom script to run during the specialize pass. That script asks for your new hostname, or creates one based the Serial Number.

This functionality is provided entirely by NTLite copying the script to the image, and inserting a task to run.

[Prompt] doesn't work outside of NTLite, since <ComputerName> only accepts a fix string. So you can't use it in the autounattend.xml by itself.
 
I understand that and the prompt worked the last time I tried but now those errors appeared without me making any changes to the ISO.

I recompiled the ISO without the [Prompt] and now the install works without the loop but no settings for the taskbar or start menu are applied and SetupComplete.cmd apparently doesn't run and nor do the commands that should run after login...
 
If you're using a preset (and everything from the edit session is captured by saving it), then it should apply your config changes and Post-Setup actions. Trying to do things around NTLite, instead of directly through the app, can confuse it.

Older versions of NTLite would pick any user-created changes to the ISO distribution folder or SetupComplete.cmd. But now it tries to be stateful, and track what changes were made inside of NTLite to those details.
 
Thanks for the information. I modified a Windows 11 Pro and removed the [Prompt] in NTLite's settings for the Setup and I made some changes to the task bar and start menu. I checked the box to transfer the settings to Windows 11 Home. However, when I start the newly installed Windows 11 Home, the settings are not applied and SetupComplete is not executed but instead the "Hello..." screen appears. :confused:

But I'm still unsure why the [Prompt] causes the loop since it worked fine on the other laptops I used the ISO on.... :oops:
 
Is this a single edition ISO with only Pro, or a multi-edition ISO? I'm wondering if Setup is auto-selecting a different edition to install (because the other laptop has a Home OEM product key in the BIOS?).
 
It was a Home and Pro ISO because some Laptops come with Home keys in BIOS and some with Pro keys. I recompiled the ISO by removing the Pro version and it worked (including the [Prompt]). I tested with the original version again and it does install the correct edition that correspondends with the BIOS key but the problems persist. I tried the same ISO in a VM and I got the same problem.

So to recap:
  • Multi-Edition-ISO Home-Version does not work on laptop or VM
  • Multi-Edition-ISO Pro-Version does work on VM (cannot try on laptop since the selection menu doesn't appear with BIOS key)
  • Single-Edition-ISO Home-Version does work on both laptop and VM
The problem apparently is only with the Home-Version in the Multi-Edition context. I'll try another edit with integration although that doesn't explain why the old ISO has stopped working that installed fine on similar laptops in the past o_O
 
Okay, new ISO with Multi-Edition installs Home and keeps the edits to the taskbar but doesn't run SetupComplete.cmd or the Post-Logon-Commands. Setupact.log shows a lot of entries for copying/creating the file but none for executing it.
 
This is a normal problem when installing Windows on PC's with OEM keys.

WinPE Setup prefers to auto-select the same Windows edition as your OEM key. Setup will always prefer the key's edition unless the following conditions occur:

- There is only one Windows edition to install. No other images are available.
- An activation product key (which is tied to one Windows edition) is provided in the unattended file or PID.txt, on a multi-edition ISO.
- A generic install key (which is tied to one Windows edition) is provided in the unattended file, on a multi-edition ISO.
- NTLite remembers which edition you loaded for editing, and writes that edition's index number to the unattended file.

If you want to allow the user to select which Windows edition they want, regardless of the OEM key, then you need to create a new file \sources\EI.cfg on the USB drive, or ISO distribution.
Code:
[Channel]
Retail

[VL]
0


The alternative is to allow Setup to auto-select Home or Pro, based on the OEM key. In this situation, you can load one of the two images (Home or Pro), and before you apply changes, instruct NTLite to mirror all your changes to the other edition.

1. Load Home edition (for example).
2. Add changes.
3. From the Apply screen, expand the "Reapply tasks across editions" tree.

Click on the tasks (changes) you want to simultaneously apply to another edition. During processing, your edits will be added to the other images. Because your changes have been applied to both editions, it doesn't matter which edition gets installed. The results will be the same (unless it's a feature that only Pro provides).

1766179231442.png
 
I understand that and the prompt worked the last time I tried but now those errors appeared without me making any changes to the ISO.

I recompiled the ISO without the [Prompt] and now the install works without the loop but no settings for the taskbar or start menu are applied and SetupComplete.cmd apparently doesn't run and nor do the commands that should run after login...

Not sure about the SetupComplete issue, but the built-in NTLite settings don't appear to work anymore for Start and Taskbar changes ever since the User Choice Protection component was added to recent Windows builds. Not sure if Nuhi is aware of this.
 
It's been discussed here since Sep. 2024 (when UCPD rolled out to W10 and 11). The general rule of thumb is to remove UCPD, since it doesn't protect anything for the user's sake and it's not required for any other features.
 
It's been discussed here since Sep. 2024 (when UCPD rolled out to W10 and 11). The general rule of thumb is to remove UCPD, since it doesn't protect anything for the user's sake and it's not required for any other features.

I only recently returned here after a year or two hiatus, so please pardon me for missing any previous discussions.

I wonder then if Nuhi could include code that blacks out all settings on the Settings page that are protected by UCP if it detects that UCP has not been removed.
 
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