Many Windows 10 users have experienced a drive upgrade problem labeled 0x800F0923.
Unless you speak robot, that error code probably doesn’t mean anything to you. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at what this error code means and how to fix it.
What is It?
The 0x800F0923 error code is related to a driver error. Your computer uses drivers to communicate with its hardware. When you have a driver error, you may have problems using your printer, monitor, keyboard, mouse, network card, and other accessories.
When Microsoft upgrades Windows 10, it tries to find the appropriate drivers for that version of Windows. When you’re transferring from Windows 7 to Windows 10, that’s a monumental task: Windows must find hundreds of different drivers optimized for your new Windows 10 machine.
With the 0x800F0923 error code, Microsoft displays this error before you actually upgrade to Windows 10. Microsoft will warn you that you can’t actually upgrade to the new OS because of this error code.
Now that you why you’re getting the error, let’s figure out how to solve it.
Use the Get Windows 10 App
The Get Windows 10 app should help you solve this problem.
Right-click on the Windows icon in the bottom right corner of your screen (in the system tray).
Then, click the hamburger menu button (the three horizontal lines) and click Check your PC.
The app will list any drivers or applications on your Windows 7 / 8 / 8.1 system that are not compatible with Windows 10.
In most cases, you’ll find a specific issue listed under this menu: a video card may not have the appropriate drivers for example. Some users complain that they get this error when upgrading to Windows 10 on a GTX 980 Ti:
Image courtesy of PCWorld.com
In this case, you can certainly use your GTX 980 Ti on your Windows 10 PC – but for whatever reason, Microsoft doesn’t agree.
We’ll tell you how to fix it below.
Another way to check for the source of the driver error listed above comes from the Microsoft tech support website, which tells you to open File Explorer and go to this file:
C:\ $WINDOWS.~BT\Sources\Panther\Setupact.log
The #Windows.~BT folder is actually hidden from view by default, so you’ll need to Turn on Display hidden folders and files.
After opening the Setupact.log, you’ll see a list of errors logged while upgrading Windows, although it’s not written in the most user-friendly way. You’ll see errors listed as something like user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Sidebar\settings.ini, which indicates that the Windows Sidebar is experiencing an error during the upgrade.
In any case, once you’ve identified these issues, it’s time to fix them.
How to Fix the 0x800F0923 Driver Update Error Code
The best way to fix these errors is to install drivers through Windows Update.
To install driver updates, click the Start button and type Update, then select Windows Update > Check for updates.
Windows will scan for updates and display a list of important, recommended, or optional updates. Install all of those updates, which may upgrade some of the drivers on your computer. At the very least, it will make sure your PC is up-to-date.
Microsoft can’t always download driver updates – say, from third party manufacturers. In that case, you may need to visit the device manufacturer’s update and scan for the download yourself. Look for the Support section of your hardware manufacturer’s website for any necessary driver updates.
Many hardware programs now come with driver update software that automatically scans for and downloads any new driver updates.
Still Didn’t Work?
If the steps listed above still didn’t work, then your next best bet is to delete the problematic drivers and proceed to upgrade to Windows 10. In many cases, Windows 10 will automatically find these new drivers on its own. Or, you can reinstall the new drivers yourself.
As long as you’re not deleting a driver that’s super important – like a network card that lets you connect to the internet – you can always reinstall drivers at a later date. Remove, upgrade, and reinstall. That should fix your 0x800F0923 driver problem.
