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What 0x80070057 means in an SCCM deployment
0x80070057 means that a component received an incorrect parameter. In Configuration Manager operating-system deployment, the component might be PXE policy, a task-sequence variable, a partitioning action, a storage or network driver, content location, or a later client step. The code by itself does not identify which component is wrong.
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Before changing the task sequence, write down the exact on-screen text, the task-sequence step name, the computer model, whether the machine booted by PXE or media, whether firmware is in UEFI or legacy BIOS mode, and the first meaningful error in smsts.log or SMSPXE.log. Those details determine which branch below applies.
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Microsoft’s Configuration Manager documentation notes that “A PXE error code is usually displayed if the PXE boot process fails before WinPE starts.” If WinPE has already loaded, investigate the task sequence and its logs rather than treating the symptom as a generic PXE fault.
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Use the symptom to choose the repair branch
| What you see | Likely stage | First evidence to collect | Start here |
|---|---|---|---|
| PXE stops before WinPE, or says no task sequences are available | Device lookup or deployment policy | SMSPXE.log |
Check collection targeting, PXE enablement, unknown-computer support, and stale records |
WinPE loads, then Partition Disk or Apply Operating System fails with 0x80070057 |
Disk selection, partition style, or task-sequence variable | smsts.log, beginning with the first failed step |
Validate disk visibility, UEFI/BIOS alignment, partition creation, and target variables |
| WinPE cannot see the internal disk or network adapter | Boot-image driver coverage or firmware storage mode | WinPE hardware visibility and smsts.log |
Check RAID/VMD/AHCI and add the required storage or network driver to the boot image |
| Failure occurs while downloading content or during a later client action | Content location, boundary, management point, package, application, or a later parameter | The first relevant entry in smsts.log |
Check distribution-point availability, boundary-group assignment, management-point reachability, and the named content |
Prepare a safe troubleshooting session
- Capture the baseline. Record the device name or serial number, MAC address, model, firmware mode, boot method, task-sequence name and revision, boot-image architecture, distribution point, and the exact time of the failure.
- Preserve the logs. Copy
SMSPXE.logfrom the PXE-enabled distribution point when the failure occurs before WinPE. In WinPE or the installed operating system, copysmsts.logbefore rebooting or starting another deployment. The first meaningful failure normally matters more than the final line that repeats0x80070057. - Change one thing at a time. Export or note the current task-sequence conditions, variables, partition settings, boot-image version, and deployment membership. A one-change retest lets you identify the fix and roll back an incorrect change.
- Use a second boot path as a control. If PXE fails, try approved bootable media for the same boot image. If media works, the problem is more likely PXE policy, device lookup, or distribution-point configuration than the task-sequence logic itself.
Fix a PXE “missing task sequence” or “no task sequences are available” message
This symptom usually means that the device did not receive an applicable deployment policy. It does not prove that the task sequence was deleted or that the boot image is damaged.
1. Confirm the deployment targets this computer
In the Configuration Manager console, open the task-sequence deployment and confirm that the device belongs to the collection being targeted. Verify that the deployment is enabled for PXE and that the deployment is available to the intended audience. Check the deployment schedule and any collection or requirement conditions that could exclude the computer.
For a known device, confirm that the record used by Configuration Manager has the correct name, hardware identity, and collection membership. A computer can boot successfully yet receive no task sequence when its record is not in the targeted collection.
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2. Configure unknown-computer support when appropriate
If the deployment is intended for devices that do not yet have a Configuration Manager record, enable support for unknown computers on the PXE-enabled distribution point and deploy the task sequence to the appropriate unknown-computer collection. Do not enable this broadly without understanding which machines could receive the deployment; it changes which devices can obtain policy.
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3. Check for a stale device record
A device that was reimaged, renamed, or registered with a different record may still exist in the database. A known record that is not targeted can prevent the unknown-computer policy from applying. Search for duplicate or stale records using the serial number, MAC address, or other approved hardware identity. Verify the identity before removing, merging, or retargeting a record; deleting the wrong record can create a second problem.
4. Read SMSPXE.log during a fresh boot
Start the log capture, boot the device again, and follow the entries for client lookup, policy retrieval, package and boot-image selection, and the final boot action. Messages indicating that no policy or no boot action applies point back to deployment targeting, unknown-computer settings, or a stale identity. Messages showing a selected policy but failing package or boot-image retrieval point to distribution-point content or availability instead.
5. Verify the PXE distribution point and boot image
Confirm that the boot image referenced by the deployment is distributed to the PXE distribution point and that the distribution point has current content. If the boot image was changed, refresh it and redistribute it before testing again. A console change alone does not update the copy that PXE serves.
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Fix a failure at Partition Disk or Apply Operating System
When WinPE loads and the task sequence fails while partitioning or applying Windows, open smsts.log and identify the first failing step. In this branch, 0x80070057 is commonly associated with an invalid target location, a blank or incorrect task-sequence variable, a disk that is not visible, or a mismatch between firmware mode and partition style.
1. Confirm that WinPE can see the intended disk
From the WinPE command prompt, use the built-in disk-management tools to list disks and volumes. Verify the expected internal disk is present and note its disk number. If no internal disk appears, stop working on partition variables and follow the storage-driver branch below. A task sequence cannot format or apply an image to a disk that WinPE cannot see.
2. Match firmware mode to partition style
UEFI deployments normally require a GPT layout, while legacy BIOS deployments normally use MBR. Check the firmware setting on the affected model and compare it with the Format and Partition Disk step. Do not switch firmware mode merely to hide the error: changing from UEFI to legacy BIOS can alter boot files, security settings, and the layout expected by the task sequence.
3. Inspect the Format and Partition Disk step
Open the task sequence and verify that the step is enabled for this deployment, runs under the intended conditions, and points to the correct disk number or disk-selection logic. Confirm that it creates the system, recovery, and operating-system partitions required by the selected firmware mode. A step that runs conditionally for one model but not another can leave the target variable empty even though the next step still executes.
4. Validate the target variable used by Apply Operating System
The Apply Operating System action must reference the partition or volume created by the preceding step. Check that the variable is populated, spelled exactly as expected, and not overwritten by a model-specific condition. A documented case tied 0x80070057 to an invalid target location and resolved it by aligning the partition variable with the volume created by the partitioning step.
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5. Check for competing conditions and model logic
Review task-sequence variables, collection variables, and step conditions that select different disks or partitions by model. Ensure that a fallback branch cannot run after the correct branch and replace the target with a blank or nonexistent volume. Temporarily narrow the deployment to one test model if you need to prove which condition is being evaluated.
6. Retest from a clean state
After correcting the disk or variable reference, boot the same device in the same firmware mode and capture a new smsts.log. Confirm that the partition step reports creation of the expected volume and that the operating-system step references that volume. Do not judge the result from a later generic error; verify the first failed action has moved or disappeared.
Fix missing storage or network access in WinPE
Storage-controller mode and driver coverage
Modern systems may expose storage through RAID, VMD, or AHCI modes. The mode selected in firmware must be supported by the WinPE boot image. If the disk is absent in WinPE, identify the controller used by the affected model and add its required storage driver to the boot image. Adding a driver only to the full Windows image does not make the disk visible during WinPE partitioning.
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If WinPE starts but cannot obtain policy or content, verify that the network adapter is visible and has an address on the deployment network. Add the required network driver to the boot image for the affected model when necessary. A missing adapter driver can look like a content or management-point failure because the task sequence cannot reach those services.
Refresh and redistribute the boot image
After adding or correcting drivers, update the boot image, refresh its distribution-point content, and redistribute it to the PXE distribution point. Rebooting a client without updating the PXE-served image only repeats the old failure. Confirm in SMSPXE.log that the distribution point is serving the intended boot-image revision.
Separate hardware visibility from policy visibility
Test disk visibility and network visibility independently. A visible disk with no network usually indicates an adapter or network configuration issue; a working network with no disk points to storage mode or storage-driver coverage. Fix the missing hardware path before changing task-sequence variables.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Fix a later content-download or client-step failure
If the task sequence reaches content download, application installation, or a later Configuration Manager client action, do not assume the error has the same cause as a partition failure. Follow the first failure in smsts.log and identify the exact package, application, driver package, or command that was executing.
- Check content location. Confirm that the referenced content is distributed to an available distribution point.
- Check boundary-group assignment. Verify that the device’s network location maps to a boundary group with a suitable distribution point.
- Check management-point reachability. Confirm that WinPE or the newly installed client can contact the management point required by that step.
- Check the named package or application. Review detection rules, dependencies, return-code handling, and any task-sequence variable supplying an installation path or command-line parameter.
- Redistribute changed content. If the package, application, driver package, or boot image was recently modified, update and redistribute it before another test.
A final 0x80070057 entry can be a consequence of an earlier network, content, or command-line failure. Repair the earliest actionable error rather than repeatedly editing the last step.
Compare the deployment paths before changing configuration
| Comparison | What it tells you | How to use the result |
|---|---|---|
| PXE versus bootable media | Whether the failure depends on network policy, device lookup, or the PXE distribution point | If media succeeds with the same task sequence and boot image, concentrate on PXE targeting, stale records, distribution, and policy |
| UEFI versus legacy BIOS | Whether partition style and firmware mode are aligned | Keep the mode supported by the device and make the partition step match it; do not change modes as a blind workaround |
| Known-device versus unknown-computer deployment | Which collection and policy should apply | Use the known record when it is correctly targeted; use unknown-computer support only for devices that should not require a record |
| Boot-image revisions | Whether architecture, drivers, client compatibility, and distribution-point freshness differ | Compare the image that works with the image served by PXE, then update and redistribute the intended revision |
Common mistakes that prolong the failure
- Treating the code as a complete diagnosis. The code means an incorrect parameter, not “the disk is bad” or “the task sequence is missing.”
- Recreating the task sequence immediately. A stale device record, wrong collection, or outdated boot image can make a correct task sequence appear unavailable.
- Deleting records without checking identity. Confirm the serial number and MAC address before changing a known-device record.
- Adding drivers to the wrong image. Drivers required before Windows is installed belong in the WinPE boot image; drivers needed after setup belong in the operating-system image or a later driver step.
- Changing several conditions at once. Multiple simultaneous edits remove the evidence needed to identify which setting caused the failure.
- Ignoring redistribution. PXE continues to serve an old image until the updated boot image is distributed to the PXE distribution point.
When to escalate
Escalate with a complete evidence bundle rather than only the hexadecimal code. Include the exact screen message, device model and firmware mode, PXE or media result, task-sequence and boot-image versions, collection and deployment names, the relevant SMSPXE.log or smsts.log section beginning before the first failure, and the changes already tested. This lets an administrator distinguish policy lookup, partition targeting, driver visibility, and content-location problems without repeating destructive steps.
Bottom line
For the likely intended code 0x80070057, start with the deployment stage. A pre-WinPE “missing task sequence” message calls for collection, PXE, unknown-computer, stale-record, policy, and boot-image checks. A WinPE partition failure calls for disk visibility, UEFI/BIOS alignment, partition creation, and target-variable validation. A missing disk or network adapter calls for storage or network drivers in the boot image, followed by a refresh and redistribution. Later failures require content, boundary, management-point, and step-specific checks. The first meaningful log error—not the repeated final code—should determine the fix.
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