Windows 11 installation error

The Windows 11 installation error 0x80070002-0x20007 (“failed in the safe_os phase during INSTALL_DRIVERS”) usually means there is a driver problem—outdated, corrupted, or incompatible drivers block setup. The fix is to update or remove problematic drivers (especially storage, SATA/NVMe, USB, or GPU), then retry the upgrade with updated installation media.

Detailed Fix Steps:

Step 1. Disconnect unnecessary devices

• Remove USB drives, external HDDs, printers, and other peripherals.
• Keep only your system disk, mouse, and keyboard connected.

Step 2. Update or uninstall problematic drivers

• Press Win + X > Device Manager.
• Check for devices with a yellow warning mark.
• Update drivers for storage controllers (Intel RST, AMD SATA, NVMe), GPU, and network adapters.
• If updates are not available, right-click → Uninstall device (Windows will reinstall a generic version after reboot).

Step 3. Ensure enough free disk space

• Make sure the C: drive has at least 20–30 GB free space.
• Run Disk Cleanup or remove temporary files if needed.

Step 4. Install Windows Updates and drivers

• Go to Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates.
• Install both required and optional updates, especially hardware drivers.

Step 5. Use the official Windows 11 ISO or Media Creation Tool

• Download the latest ISO from Microsoft’s website.
• Right-click the ISO → Mount → run setup.exe.
• This method avoids issues with outdated installer files.

Step 6. Check setup logs if error persists

• Open C:$WINDOWS.~BT\Sources\Panther\setuperr.log.
• The log usually shows which driver caused the failure.
• Update or temporarily remove that driver, then retry the upgrade.