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Windows upgrade process takes compatibility very seriously. They have to be compatible with the hardware, and installed applications else the Windows Upgrade will get stuck. One of the error messages that show up is Windows 10 error 0xC1900208 - 0x4000C. If Windows 10 will not upgrade due to Incompatible applications, then this post may help you.
Error 0xC1900208 - 0x4000C is caused due to app incompatibility. This indicates that an incompatible app installed on the PC is blocking the upgrade process from completing. You will have to make sure that all applications are up to date to the latest version and then check the compatibility. Else make sure that any incompatible apps are uninstalled and then try upgrading again. Do note, that this is one of the error codes among many for compatibility issue that Windows Upgrade shows.
Error 0xC1900208-0x4000C on Windows 10
Since the error is related to compatibility, usually shown by Windows Upgrade Advisor, we have three options. Update to the latest version of the application, and software, or Uninstall the application or trick Windows that it's compatible.
1] Update Software and Applications
Depending on where you had installed, your steps will change. If you have installed directly from the website, follow the steps below:
- Most of the applications have an inbuilt option for checking for updates. Look for it
- You can also go to the Software website, and see if there is a new version available. Download, and Update.
If you have downloaded from the Microsoft Store:
- Launch Store and click on three dots on the top right.
- Click on Download and Updates
- See if there is an update available for the store, if yes, update it
2] Uninstall a software or application
If you downloaded from the website, you would need to use the classic Program and Features to complete it.
- Type 'control' in the search box, and click on Control Panel (desktop app) when it appears.
- Select Program and Features from the list.
- This will list all the programs
- Select the program which is possibly not compatible, and uninstall it.
If you have downloaded the application from the Windows Store, you can right click on it from the application list, and select uninstall.
3] Bypass Upgrade Advisor
Many a time, software developer fails to pass the compatibility test for their applications. It is possible that they work on Windows 10 upgraded version, but they haven't passed the check. If you are 100% sure of it, read our detailed post on how you can trick the upgrade advisor when it says Uninstall this app now because it isn't compatible with Windows 10.
4] Delete the file blocking the upgrade
If Windows Setup says you have incompatible applications installed - but you are sure that you don't have any, then you need to determine which file is triggering the block. To do this, follow these steps suggested by Microsoft:
- Open Explorer and make sure the Show Hidden & System Files option is enabled.
- Type *_APPRAISER_HumanReadable.xml in the search box and search the PC for file names that end with this term.
- Right-click the file that ends with _APPRAISER_HumanReadable.xml and open the file with Notepad.
- Press CTRL+F and search for DT_ANY_FMC_BlockingApplication. Look for the value; it should be True.
- Next search for LowerCaseLongPathUnexpanded. The value contains the file path of the program that should be removed or transferred to another drive.
- Make a note of the file path listed in the value for LowerCaseLongPathUnexpanded and copy it to Notepad.
- Now open this file location in Explorer and delete the file.
Alternatively, you may also download run this batch file from Microsoft & automatically do all this.
Now try installing the Feature Update and see.
Let us know if this guide helped you solve the issue.
