How to Fix Windows 11 24H2 Update Failing Due to Voicemeeter Driver Error
If you are trying to update Windows 11 to 24H2 or any other version but it keeps failing with the following error message: "Your PC has a driver that isn't ready for this version of Windows. A new version is available." Showing a driver that is causing the problem. In this particular case Voicemeeter, this article will show you how to fix this problem. It will also work for pretty much any other issue that mentions an out of date driver as well.
What is Causing 24H2 to Fail?
For whatever reason, Voicemeeter installs virtual audio drivers that are not automatically removed or updated when the application is uninstalled. These outdated drivers are flagged as incompatible by Windows 11 24H2, which prevents the update from completing.
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Don't bother attempting to remove the Voicemeeter driver manually through Device Manager or by deleting files from System32. This does not resolve the compatibility issue. You probably won't even be able to find them anyway.
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Uninstalling Voicemeeter alone is not sufficient. Residual driver files and registry entries remain on the system.
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Driver cleanup tools are generally ineffective in this case due to how the Voicemeeter virtual driver is registered.
How to Fix Windows 11 24H2 Update Failing Due to Voicemeeter Driver Error
The most reliable way to resolve the issue is to reinstall the latest version of Voicemeeter to update the driver, then retry the Windows update.
Go to the official VB-Audio website
Download the version you originally used (Standard, Banana, or Potato). If you're unsure which one, Voicemeeter Potato is the most commonly used among advanced audio users. From my experience they all seem to share the same driver so any should solve the problem.
Reinstall Voicemeeter
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Run the downloaded installer as Administrator (right-click the file and select “Run as administrator”).
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Follow the installation prompts.
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After installation completes, restart your computer.
This ensures the latest driver version is correctly registered in the system.
Retry the Windows 11 24H2 Update
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Open Settings > Windows Update.
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Select Check for updates.
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Proceed with the 24H2 update.
The update should now complete without errors.
Optional Cleanup After Update
If you no longer use Voicemeeter, you may uninstall it after the Windows update has completed. This can be done through the standard "Apps & Features" settings, followed by a system restart. But again, you'll probably end up with this problem again in the future. I've looked around quite intensely to find where the leftover files might be located, but haven't had much luck.