If a client downloads boot.wim, enters Windows PE, and then restarts after a Configuration Manager 2211 upgrade, do not assume the site upgrade itself is defective. The failure is usually at the WinPE initialization boundary: an ADK/WinPE mismatch, an old or damaged boot image, missing network or storage drivers, undistributed image content, or a WDS/PXE provider problem. Treat it as a staged diagnosis, starting with a clean default boot image and SMSTS.log before rebuilding WDS.
First identify what is actually rebooting
“PE reboot” can describe several different failures. Confirm whether the site server or distribution-point server restarted during maintenance, or whether the client restarted after WinPE appeared. The incident associated with the 2211 upgrade describes the latter: the client reached the Windows PE interface and then rebooted. That means DHCP, the initial PXE response, and at least part of the image download already worked.
| Observed symptom | Likely fault domain |
|---|---|
| No DHCP or PXE response | DHCP, IP helpers, firmware, network, PXE responder, or WDS |
| PXE menu appears but the image will not download | Distribution point, PXE provider, content distribution, or WDS |
boot.wim downloads and immediately reboots |
WinPE image, ADK servicing, injected components, boot files, or drivers |
| WinPE reaches a command prompt | winpeshl.ini, startnet.cmd, wpeinit, or a prestart customization |
| WinPE loads but no task sequence is shown | SMS PXE provider, boundary/content assignment, management-point communication, or task-sequence bootstrap |
| WDS will not start | WDS configuration, service state, role installation, or PXE-provider integration |
| Only a customized image fails | Custom drivers, optional components, shell changes, or stale image content |
Configuration Manager’s classic WDS-backed PXE flow uses Windows Deployment Services and the SMS PXE provider. Once WinPE has started, the task-sequence bootstrap and WinPE components become the primary suspects. The documented architecture and startup sequence are described by Microsoft in Understanding PXE boot in Configuration Manager.
Collect logs before changing the server
Enable command support on a test copy of the boot image, not on a production image:
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- Open Software Library > Operating Systems > Boot Images.
- Right-click the affected image and select Properties.
- On Customization, select Enable command support (testing only).
- Click OK, choose Update Distribution Points, and wait for successful distribution.
- PXE-boot a test device and press F8 when WinPE appears.
Use CMTrace, which is included in Configuration Manager boot images, to open the principal log:
cmtrace X:WindowsTempSMSTSLogSMSTS.logCollect these files before the machine restarts:
X:WindowsTempSMSTSLogSMSTS.log— the main task-sequence and bootstrap log in WinPE.X:WindowsTempSMSTSLogWPEINIT.log— WinPE initialization details, when present.X:WindowsTempSMSTSLogWINPESHL.log— shell startup details, when present.
Look for the last successful entry from wpeinit.exe, followed by TsmBootstrap.exe. Missing DLLs, provider-load errors, driver initialization failures, an invalid shell, or a bootstrap error point to the image rather than to DHCP. Copy the logs to removable storage or a network share if the reboot is too fast to inspect them in place.
Run a controlled clean-image test
The fastest way to separate an image problem from a PXE problem is to use the default x64 Configuration Manager boot image on one PXE-enabled distribution point:
- Use the default x64 image with no third-party shell, prestart command, branding script, or unnecessary optional component.
- Add only the NIC and storage drivers required by the test hardware.
- Confirm that the device is assigned to the intended boundary and distribution point.
- PXE-boot one known-good device and one device that reproduces the failure.
- Repeat in UEFI and legacy BIOS only if both firmware modes are in use.
If the default image works, the fault is in the custom image or its servicing history. If every image fails after WinPE starts, inspect the ADK host, drivers, and PXE-enabled distribution point. A failure limited to one architecture or hardware model is evidence against a site-wide 2211 defect.
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Verify Configuration Manager, ADK, and WinPE versions
Record the site and console versions, installed Windows ADK, separate WinPE add-on (if used), operating system hosting the distribution point/WDS, image architecture, and whether the image is default or custom. Version 2211 is an older Configuration Manager branch; frame this as a legacy incident rather than a current upgrade target. The original report was posted in December 2022.
In Software Library > Operating Systems > Boot Images, select the image and choose Update Distribution Points. The wizard displays the ADK version, WinPE version, and Configuration Manager client version associated with the image. Compare those values with the versions installed on the site system. A custom image can retain an older WinPE base even after the ADK changes because custom boot images are not automatically updated.
Reload or rebuild the image safely
When the ADK changed, the image reports an unexpected WinPE version, or logs show damaged Configuration Manager components, reload the image from the installed ADK:
- Open Software Library > Operating Systems > Boot Images.
- Select the affected image and choose Update Distribution Points.
- Choose the option to reload the image with the current Windows PE version when the wizard offers it.
- Complete the rebuild and redistribute the result to every affected distribution point.
- PXE-boot again and verify that the client is receiving the intended distribution point’s content.
Microsoft warns that reloading rebuilds the image and does not preserve manual customizations made outside the Configuration Manager console. Before doing it, document or export:
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- NIC, storage, RAID, and NVMe drivers;
- PowerShell, DaRT, language packs, and other optional components;
winpeshl.ini,startnet.cmd, prestart commands, and certificates;- branding, scripts, and third-party diagnostic tools.
After any change, confirm successful content status and redistribute; an updated image in the console does not mean that a PXE-enabled distribution point has stopped serving its older copy. See Microsoft’s Manage boot images guidance.
Check drivers and custom WinPE components
A WinPE image may display its interface but fail when it initializes the client’s network or storage stack. Build a narrow test image containing only the drivers needed for the affected model:
- Correct NIC driver for the WinPE architecture;
- NVMe, RAID, or storage-controller driver;
- Firmware mode and Secure Boot requirements;
- Only the optional components required by the task sequence.
Remove nonessential drivers and custom shells temporarily. An invalid winpeshl.ini, a failing startnet.cmd, or a prestart script that exits unexpectedly can leave WinPE at a command prompt or trigger a restart even though PXE itself is healthy.
Repair WDS or PXE only when the evidence points there
Inspect WDS and PXE configuration when WDS cannot start, no image downloads, multiple known-good images fail before WinPE, or PXE logs show provider registration and response errors. First establish whether this distribution point uses classic WDS-backed PXE or a Configuration Manager PXE responder configuration; do not run WDS commands on a server where WDS is not the active provider.
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The community incident associated with the 2211 upgrade mentions reinitializing WDS. If you use WDS-backed PXE, have recorded the existing configuration, and have confirmed the correct RemoteInstall path, the documented commands are:
wdsutil /uninitialize-server
wdsutil /initialize-server /reminst:<RemoteInstallFolder>/Initialize-Server configures WDS for initial use and requires the local RemoteInstall path. /Uninitialize-Server reverts the initial WDS configuration. Review the consequences, service state, DHCP/PXE settings, and Configuration Manager ownership before running either command. Microsoft documents the syntax at wdsutil /Initialize-Server and the previous-version behavior at wdsutil /Uninitialize-Server.
Reinitializing WDS is not a universal fix for a client that has already downloaded and started boot.wim; that symptom places the image and WinPE initialization ahead of WDS on the suspect list.
Special case: Windows Server 2012 R2 and a newer Windows 11 ADK
The incident report links a Windows Server 2012 R2 distribution point using a newer Windows 11 ADK with WinPE CAB files apparently not being injected correctly. That is credible field evidence for an ADK/servicing interaction, not a Microsoft-confirmed universal incompatibility rule.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchTest the hypothesis by generating a clean default image, comparing the ADK and WinPE versions, reviewing the image-update output and SMSTS.log, and servicing the same image on a newer supported server if available. If the failure reproduces only on the legacy host, moving image servicing to a newer supported operating system reduces risk. Verify the exact Configuration Manager, ADK, WinPE, and Windows Server support matrix for your release before treating migration as mandatory.
Recovery checklist
- Identify whether the client, site server, or distribution point is rebooting.
- Mark the exact stage: PXE response, image download, WinPE initialization, or task-sequence startup.
- Capture
SMSTS.log,WPEINIT.log, andWINPESHL.logwith F8 command support. - Test the default x64 image with minimal drivers.
- Record site, ADK, WinPE, server, architecture, and firmware versions.
- Reload only after documenting customizations, then redistribute to all affected distribution points.
- Check WDS/PXE provider state only when failures occur before WinPE or WDS itself will not start.
- Test UEFI/BIOS and affected hardware models separately.
Prevent a repeat after future upgrades
- Keep a known-good default boot image available for diagnosis.
- Record boot-image customizations in source control or an administrative runbook.
- Capture ADK, WinPE, Configuration Manager, and distribution-point versions before changing them.
- Use a pilot distribution point and one test device before broad redistribution.
- Recreate installation media that embeds a modified boot image when required.
- Validate the exact ADK and server support matrix instead of assuming a newer ADK is compatible with every host.
The Bottom Line
A 2211 upgrade can expose a boot-image or WinPE compatibility problem without being the sole cause of the reboot. Prove the failure boundary with logs and a clean default image, rebuild and redistribute the image when its ADK or contents are wrong, and repair WDS only when PXE evidence—not the WinPE reboot itself—implicates WDS.
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