- Microsoft has put together a list of apps that if found on your PC will stop the latest Windows 11 update from being installed citing security concerns.
- This list is found in the appraiser.sdb file, and contains a number of popular apps, including .exe files from AMD and StartAllBlack.
- Users can work around the issue by uninstalling the app, installing the latest Windows update and reinstalling the app.
It turns out that aside from a laundry list of requirements in terms of hardware to install Windows 11, the operating system will only be updated by Microsoft if you are missing certain apps from your PC.
Discovered by a German tech blog in DeskModder, Microsoft keeps a list of apps within the appraiser.sdb file, which is checked by Windows 11 when it is about to update your PC automatically. If your machine has any of the listed apps installed, the update will be blocked by the operating system.
The list does more than suggest names of apps that must be blocked, it also has specific information on specific apps. According to DeskModder, the list not only contains media player VLC as one of the apps that will stop an update, but it is the Windows 7 version of VLC only.
As per XDA Developers, the reason why Microsoft keeps this list is because it believes that certain apps cause performance and security issues with Windows 11. The company asks users to uninstall the apps if they want to update to the latest version of the system.
Some users may find the information relevant because they may not want any more updates for Windows 11. The operating system is infamous for slowing down machines when updating or even preparing for an update, but for security reasons, it is usually recommended to update Windows when possible.
Here are the 11 apps that will block Windows 11 from updating:
- ConisioAdmin.exe (Solidworks PDM),
- EaseUS Disk Copy.exe (EaseUS Disk Copy Application),
- ep_dwm.exe (ExplorerPatcher) including since 22H2,
- iCloudServices.exe (iCloud files shared in Explorer via WhatsApp) from 23H2,
- RadeonSoftware.exe (AMD GPU perf settings) from 23H2,
- StartAllBackCfg.exe (StartAllBack) included since 22H2,
- Multi-mon + Copilot (Microsoft),
- MergeSdb (Microsoft),
- Intel IntcOED.sys (Intel),
- Intel IntcAudioBus.sys (Intel) (%WinDir%\System32\drivers\IntcAudioBus.sys),
- Realtek 8192su Wireless USB 2.0 Adapter (Realtek) (%WinDir%\System32\drivers\RTL8192su.sys).
Having any of these apps would make it difficult to update your machine, and this may be the reason you’re struggling to update Windows 11. There is a workaround, however, and that is by uninstalling the problem app, updating Windows 11 and then reinstalling the app.
This may help users who have been dealing with issues around StartAllBlack, an app that changes how the Windows Start menu and taskbar look.
In any case, this represents one more issue that Windows 11 users have had to deal with since the operating system had its lofty launch in 2021. Last month Microsoft announced that it would remove Android app support from Windows, a feature that it made a big deal out of leading up to the launch of the latest Windows.
