Microsoft has blocked Windows 24H2 upgrades on some systems because of known issues causing Asphalt 8 game crashes and Easy Anti-Cheat blue screens.

While playing Asphalt 8, the game may freeze with an error when using or exiting it, requiring a game restart to recover.

“After installing Windows 11, version 24H2, you might face issues with Asphalt 8 (Airborne). The game might stop responding with an exception while you are using or exiting it, and you will have to restart the game to recover from the exception,” Microsoft said.

The company is also working to resolve an incompatibility issue between Windows 11 24H2 and the Easy Anti-Cheat application, typically installed with some games to prevent cheating in multiplayer online games.

This known issue only affects devices with Intel Alder Lake+ processors and the vPro platform. In some (rare) cases, impacted devices may also freeze or display a blue screen with the “MEMORY_MANAGEMENT” error message when opening or playing some games.

Most Windows 11 24H2 systems experiencing this issue use Easy Anti-Cheat drivers released before April 2024.

According to Redmond, updating your games may help resolve the issue if the update includes a compatible version of Easy Anti-Cheat.

Safeguard hold to block Windows 11 24H2 upgrades

The company has also added two compatibility holds (safeguard IDs 52796746 and 52325539) to prevent the Windows 11 2024 Update from being offered to Windows 11 22H2 and 23H2 devices affected by these gaming issues.

Customers are also advised not to manually upgrade impacted systems using the Media Creation Tool or the Windows 11 Installation Assistant until the known issues are addressed and the safeguards are removed.

“If you are trying to install Windows 11, version 24H2 through the media creation tool and your device has incompatible drivers, you will receive a pop-up message alerting that your device is not ready for this new version of Windows,” the company said.

Redmond is working to resolve the known issue with Asphalt 8 and develop a fix, which will be included in an upcoming update.

​On Monday, Microsoft fixed another known issue that caused reboot loops, system freezes, and USB and Bluetooth connection failures after installing the September 2024 KB5043145 preview update on Windows 11 22H2 and 23H2 systems.