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“Pending” and bootx64wdsmgfw.efi not found are usually two different checkpoints in the same PXE attempt. wdsmgfw.efi is the Windows Deployment Services network boot program for an x64 UEFI client. WDS normally serves it from <RemoteInstall>Bootx64wdsmgfw.efi. First prove whether that file is missing, or whether DHCP, a relay, TFTP, routing, or a different PXE server is sending the client to the wrong place. Approve a pending device only after the boot program can be downloaded.
What the error means
PXE is a sequence, not a single service. The client first obtains an address, learns which server supplies network boot, downloads a network boot program over TFTP, and only then contacts WDS for its remaining boot files and boot image.
- The firmware broadcasts a DHCP/PXE request.
- DHCP or a PXE responder supplies the next server and boot filename.
- The client requests that filename through TFTP.
- An x64 UEFI client normally requests
bootx64wdsmgfw.efi. - That program contacts WDS and obtains the next boot files and image.
The “not found” message occurs at the TFTP/network-boot stage. It does not by itself indicate a bad Windows image, driver, or installation.
Microsoft identifies Wdsmgfw.efi as the special network boot program (NBP) for x64 UEFI WDS clients, including the code that handles pending-client behavior and the prompt to continue PXE booting. See Microsoft’s PXE boot explanation.
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What “Pending” means in WDS
A pending entry normally means WDS has recognized the client but its policy requires approval, prestaging, or an answer-policy decision. A pending PXE request can therefore be evidence that the request reached WDS. It is not proof that the TFTP path is correct.
- Pending device: WDS knows the client and is waiting for approval or a policy response.
- Pending PXE request: the client has reached enough of WDS to await permission to continue.
- File-not-found error: the client could not retrieve the configured NBP.
These can happen in one boot attempt, but approval cannot make an unavailable EFI file downloadable. Fix delivery first; then approve the client if your WDS policy requires it.
Fast diagnostic checklist
- Record whether the firmware is UEFI x64 or Legacy BIOS, the exact filename, the address received, the PXE server shown, and whether WDS lists the client as pending.
- Locate the real WDS RemoteInstall directory and test for
Bootx64wdsmgfw.efi. - Inspect the actual DHCP/PXE response for the next server and boot filename. Do not assume the WDS console is the source of those values.
- For another VLAN, verify IP-helper entries for both DHCP and WDS/PXE forwarding.
- Check the WDSServer service, TFTP reachability, Windows Firewall, and intervening ACLs.
- Repair WDS server files with supported tools only if the file is genuinely absent or damaged.
- After the file downloads, approve or prestage the pending device according to the WDS answer policy.
- Finally, verify that the intended boot-image workflow is supported by your Windows Server and deployment product.
1. Confirm the client is really x64 UEFI
Use the firmware’s UEFI network boot entry, not a Legacy/CSM network-boot entry. A UEFI x64 client should receive bootx64wdsmgfw.efi. A Legacy BIOS client needs a BIOS NBP instead; sending an EFI file to it will fail. Conversely, sending a BIOS program to UEFI firmware produces a different invalid-boot-file failure.
Mixed-firmware networks are especially vulnerable to a single hard-coded DHCP option 67. Microsoft documents incorrect architecture-specific boot programs as a cause of PXE failures and recommends architecture-aware handling rather than one filename for every machine: invalid boot file guidance.
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2. Verify the file in the actual RemoteInstall tree
Do not assume the root is C:RemoteInstall; WDS may have been initialized on another volume. Find the path in WDS Manager or server configuration, then run PowerShell as an administrator:
$RemoteInstall = 'D:RemoteInstall' # replace with the actual path
$efi = Join-Path $RemoteInstall 'Bootx64wdsmgfw.efi'
Test-Path $efi
Get-Item $efi | Format-List FullName,Length,CreationTime,LastWriteTimeThe expected first result is True, followed by a normal file record. Inspect the surrounding directory for related WDS boot files. A missing file suggests incomplete initialization, a failed migration or restore, manual deletion, security-software quarantine, or damaged RemoteInstall contents.
Do not create an empty file, rename an unrelated EFI binary, download one from an untrusted site, or copy one from a random Windows ISO. The NBP must match the rest of the WDS boot chain and, where applicable, Secure Boot trust requirements. Back up the RemoteInstall tree and configuration before repair. Microsoft documents WDS initialization and its supported file-management tooling in wdsutil initialize-server and wdsutil.
3. Check WDS architecture settings
Display the server configuration:
wdsutil /Get-Server /Show:ConfigIf the x64 boot-program setting is wrong, set the relative WDS path:
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wdsutil /Set-Server /BootProgram:bootx64wdsmgfw.efi /Architecture:x64This changes WDS’s architecture-specific setting, but it may not override a conflicting option 67 supplied by DHCP, a router, a firewall, or a separate PXE appliance. Verify both WDS configuration and what the client actually receives. The command syntax is documented at wdsutil /Set-Server.
4. Validate DHCP, PXE response, and the boot path
Use a packet capture or PXE diagnostic tool on the client VLAN. The important values are:
| Value | What it must identify | Typical x64 UEFI result |
|---|---|---|
| Next server (often option 66) | The intended WDS/PXE server | WDS server address or hostname |
| Boot filename (often option 67) | A path relative to the PXE boot root | bootx64wdsmgfw.efi |
Option numbers are only clues: a DHCP server, relay, router, firewall, or PXE appliance may supply or rewrite them. A stale option on a branch-office appliance can send the client to an old server even when local WDS settings are correct. Check for duplicated PXE responders as well.
Do not put a Windows filesystem path such as D:RemoteInstallBootx64wdsmgfw.efi into DHCP. Check for duplicated directories (bootbootx64...), quotation marks, trailing characters, incorrect separators for the specific PXE product, and Configuration Manager paths such as SMSBoot mistakenly aimed at standalone WDS.
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5. Configure IP helpers for routed VLANs
If the client and WDS server are on different subnets, add the WDS/PXE server and DHCP server to the VLAN’s IP-helper (DHCP relay) configuration. A client receiving a lease proves only that DHCP worked; it does not prove that PXE discovery, TFTP, return traffic, or WDS traffic can cross the router.
When same-subnet clients work but another VLAN fails, prioritize IP helpers, firewall and ACL rules, return routing, relay rewriting of options 66/67, and whether both DHCP and WDS receive the request. Microsoft’s routed-PXE guidance is included in the invalid boot-file article.
6. Handle DHCP and WDS on the same server
Only when DHCP and WDS run on the same Windows Server, configure WDS not to bind DHCP port 67 and enable option-60 signaling:
wdsutil /Set-Server /UseDhcpPorts:No /DhcpOption60:Yes
Restart-Service WDSServerThe graphical path is wdsmgmt.msc → Servers → right-click the WDS server → Properties → DHCP; select Do not listen on port 67 and enable the option-60 setting as appropriate. Do not blindly apply these settings when DHCP is on a different server. Microsoft explains the port conflict and option-60 configuration in wdsutil /Set-Server and WDS service troubleshooting.
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7. Confirm WDS is serving TFTP
Check the service:
Get-Service WDSServer
Start-Service WDSServerThen review Event Viewer → Applications and Services Logs for WDS operational or deployment events. Confirm Windows Firewall rules and network-firewall permits for UDP 69/TFTP and subsequent PXE/WDS traffic. If a packet capture shows a request for the correct path but no successful transfer, compare the responding server’s address with the intended WDS host and inspect ACLs, TFTP restrictions, and file permissions.
8. Approve the pending client after delivery works
In WDS Manager, inspect pending or prestaged devices and the answer policy. Approve the client if the server requires approval, confirm that “answer only known clients” is not excluding it, and check for a stale or duplicated MAC address or GUID. If the EFI download still fails, approval is not the repair; return to the DHCP, relay, TFTP, and RemoteInstall checks.
When the file exists but the client still says “not found”
- Wrong server: DHCP or a competing PXE responder is answering first.
- Wrong root: WDS was moved or initialized on another volume.
- Malformed path: the client is requesting a duplicated directory or a local-drive path.
- Routed network: IP helpers or return routes are incomplete.
- Blocked transfer: UDP 69, later WDS traffic, or an ACL is blocked.
- Firmware mismatch: the client is actually in Legacy/CSM mode, or the architecture response is wrong.
The strongest evidence is a capture showing the DHCP response and TFTP request, alongside the WDS server’s events. That distinguishes a missing local file from a request that never reached the correct server.
Windows 11 and Windows Server 2025 support boundary
Successful PXE transport does not guarantee that the later deployment workflow is supported. Microsoft states that WDS PXE booting remains usable with custom boot images, but deployment through the installation-media boot.wim and WDS-mode Windows Setup is not supported for Windows 11. Windows Server 2022 warns about affected workflows, and Windows Server 2025 blocks the unsupported installation-media workflow. See Microsoft’s WDS boot support policy.
Separate the layers:
- PXE transport: DHCP, relay, TFTP, and the NBP can still function.
- Custom WinPE: a supported approach when built for the deployment solution.
- Installation-media
boot.wimin WDS mode: the constrained or blocked workflow described above.
Configuration Manager can use its own PXE responder and commonly uses SMSBoot paths; those must not be substituted into a standalone WDS RemoteInstall tree. See Configuration Manager PXE guidance.
Choosing an alternative deployment path
Repair an existing WDS installation before buying or migrating platforms. A change becomes reasonable when you need supported Windows 11 task sequencing, centralized lifecycle management, cloud provisioning, or a replacement for constrained WDS workflows.
Quick Recap
- Configuration Manager provides enterprise task sequencing and PXE capabilities.
- Microsoft Deployment Toolkit can build custom WinPE deployments but is a legacy, maintenance-sensitive choice.
- Microsoft Intune supports cloud-managed provisioning but is not a direct replacement for every bare-metal PXE requirement.
- Windows Server supplies the WDS role; licensing and suitability depend on your organization’s agreement and design.
Evidence to collect before escalation
- Client MAC address and GUID.
- UEFI/Legacy mode, architecture, and Secure Boot state.
- Exact filename shown and the client’s IP address.
- DHCP response, next-server value, and boot filename.
- TFTP request and transfer result from a packet capture.
- Actual RemoteInstall path and the EFI file’s size and timestamps.
- WDS operational events and WDSServer status.
- IP-helper, firewall, ACL, and return-routing configuration.
- Windows Server, WDS, DHCP, and deployment-product versions.
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