The important Check Readiness improvements arrived in two Configuration Manager current-branch releases: version 2103 added an Inspect view for failed prerequisites and included unpartitioned disks in free-space checks; version 2111 added separate checks for whether TPM 2.0 or later is enabled and activated. Microsoft’s release notes for versions 2509 and 2603 do not identify a newer Check Readiness-specific change, so the feature’s practical behavior still centers on those milestones.
In current documentation, the step evaluates the prerequisites you select, records every result, and returns error 4316 if any selected check fails. It does not repair the computer, partition disks, convert BIOS to UEFI, or certify every Windows 11 requirement.
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What the Check Readiness step does
Check Readiness is a task-sequence gate that tests whether a target computer meets deployment prerequisites before later steps run. Add it in the Configuration Manager console through Task Sequence Editor → Add → General → Check Readiness.
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Improvements by Configuration Manager version
Version 2103: clearer failures and broader disk-space evaluation
Beginning with version 2103, the task-sequence failure experience can offer an Inspect action that identifies which configured readiness prerequisites failed. This lets a user or help-desk technician distinguish, for example, a power, network, operating-system, or storage failure without immediately opening a log. Inspect is diagnostic only; remediation is still required. See User experiences for OS deployment.
Version 2103 also expanded the minimum-free-disk-space check to include free space on disks without partitions. The step only evaluates capacity; it does not create partitions or prepare a disk. A deployment that needs a defined layout still requires a separate Format and Partition Disk step. The change is documented in What’s new in version 2103.
Version 2111: TPM 2.0 state checks
Version 2111 added two distinct checks:
- TPM 2.0 or later is enabled
- TPM 2.0 or later is activated
A device can contain a TPM and still fail one of these states—for example, when firmware has disabled it or it has not been activated. Passing one check does not imply that the other passes. These checks support Windows 11 deployment gates but do not assess every Windows 11 hardware or compatibility requirement. Microsoft announced them in What’s new in version 2111.
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Current-release context
As of August 18, 2026, the reviewed Microsoft “What’s new” pages for versions 2509 and 2603 do not identify another Check Readiness-specific enhancement. That wording reflects the published release documentation reviewed; it is not a claim about every private hotfix or minor servicing change. See version 2509 and version 2603.
Every built-in readiness check
| Check | What it validates | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum memory | Required RAM in MB | Enabled by default in the documented configuration behavior. |
| Minimum processor speed | CPU speed in MHz | Speed alone is not a complete CPU-compatibility test. |
| Minimum free disk space | Required free space in MB | Since 2103, includes disks without partitions. |
| Current OS to be refreshed | Whether the installed OS is the expected type | Documented default is CLIENT. |
| Architecture of current OS | 32-bit or 64-bit operating system | Useful for upgrade and image planning. |
| Minimum OS version | Minimum major, minor, and build | Example format: 10.0.16299. |
| Maximum OS version | Maximum permitted major, minor, and build | Prevents unsupported source builds from entering an upgrade. |
| Minimum client version | Configuration Manager client baseline | Example format: 5.00.8913.1005. |
| Language of current OS | Current OS language | Compared with the OSLanguage property of Win32_OperatingSystem. |
| AC power plugged in | Whether external power is connected | Important for laptop upgrades. |
| Network adapter connected | Whether a network adapter is connected | Does not guarantee management-point or distribution-point access. |
| Network adapter is not wireless | Whether the connected adapter is wired | A separate, dependent policy check. |
| Computer is in UEFI mode | Current UEFI versus legacy BIOS mode | Does not convert a BIOS installation to UEFI. |
| TPM 2.0 or later is enabled | TPM enabled state | Available beginning in 2111. |
| TPM 2.0 or later is activated | TPM activation state | Available beginning in 2111. |
See Task sequence steps for the complete Microsoft setting list.
How to configure a reliable gate
- Open the task sequence in the Configuration Manager console.
- Select the position where the prerequisite gate should run.
- Choose Add → General → Check Readiness.
- Use a descriptive name such as Validate Windows 11 Upgrade Readiness or Validate Laptop Upgrade Prerequisites.
- Select only checks relevant to that deployment, then set realistic memory, processor, disk, operating-system, and client-version thresholds.
- For Windows 11 scenarios, enable the TPM checks and the UEFI check when those are organizational requirements.
- Decide whether failure should stop the sequence. Leave Continue on error disabled for an enforced production gate.
- Test pass and fail paths on representative desktops, laptops on battery and AC, BIOS and UEFI devices, TPM-disabled devices, low-disk devices, and wireless-only devices.
- After a site update, update clients to the latest version so newer functionality is available consistently.
Do not assume that a passing preflight guarantees every later action will succeed: image application, updates, temporary files, and applications can impose additional storage or compatibility demands.
What happens when a check fails
The step evaluates all selected checks rather than stopping at the first failure. It writes the outcomes to smsts.log and then fails if at least one selected check failed. The documented return code is 4316, described by Microsoft as “The resource required for this operation does not exist.” That generic code is not the root cause; use the individual readiness results and log entries instead.
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Continue on error changes the step into a logging operation: results are recorded, but the task sequence continues. This can help with pilots, discovery, and threshold tuning, but it is unsafe as a production gate unless later logic deliberately handles failed results.
Troubleshooting a failed readiness step
Start with Inspect
When the interactive task-sequence error screen provides it, select Inspect to view failed prerequisites. The improved experience was introduced in 2103 and is not guaranteed for every task-sequence failure or execution context.
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Read the task-sequence log
Review smsts.log for each selected check. Its location changes between Windows PE, the full operating system, and post-reboot phases; use the _SMSTSLogPath task-sequence variable rather than assuming one universal path. Variable details are in Microsoft’s task-sequence variable reference.
Inspect readiness result variables
The step exposes read-only variables:
_TS_CRMEMORY
_TS_CRSPEED
_TS_CRDISK
_TS_CROSTYPE
_TS_CRARCH
_TS_CRMINOSVER
_TS_CRMAXOSVER
_TS_CRCLIENTMINVER
_TS_CROSLANGUAGE
_TS_CRACPOWER
_TS_CRNETWORK
_TS_CRUEFI
_TS_CRWIRED
_TS_CRTPMACTIVATED
_TS_CRTPMENABLEDBoolean-style results generally use 1 for pass and 0 for fail. _TS_CRUEFI reports BIOS as 0 and UEFI as 1. A variable is blank when its corresponding check is not enabled. The TPM variables are documented from version 2111 onward.
Common symptoms
- Inspect is missing: verify site and client versions, confirm the failure came from Check Readiness, and ensure clients were updated after the site update.
- TPM is present but fails: check firmware enablement, activation or initialization, TPM version, and virtualization or firmware-state differences.
- Disk result is unexpected: determine whether the sequence is in Windows PE or full Windows, identify the disks being evaluated, account for unpartitioned storage, and allow space for the complete deployment.
- Wireless fails: network connectivity and wired-network requirements are separate; a Wi-Fi connection can pass the first and fail the second.
- UEFI fails: the step detects mode only. BIOS-to-UEFI conversion needs a separate backup, firmware, disk-layout, and recovery plan.
- Client-version gate fails: confirm that the task sequence truly depends on newer client behavior before raising the minimum, because incomplete client upgrades can block otherwise usable devices.
Using Check Readiness for Windows 11
Enable TPM 2.0 enabled and activated checks, plus UEFI where required, for a straightforward task-sequence gate. Treat that gate as one part of compatibility assessment, not as Microsoft’s complete Windows 11 certification process. Depending on policy, also validate supported processor model and generation, Secure Boot, RAM and storage, edition and language, application and driver compatibility, and organizational upgrade rules. The built-in step does not document a Secure Boot check and should not be represented as one.
PowerShell management
The Configuration Manager PowerShell module uses the noun PrestartCheck even though the console calls the step Check Readiness. Available cmdlets are Get-CMTSStepPrestartCheck, New-CMTSStepPrestartCheck, Remove-CMTSStepPrestartCheck, and Set-CMTSStepPrestartCheck.
$tsNameOsd = "Default OS deployment"
$tsStepNameCheckReady = "Check Readiness"
Set-CMTSStepPrestartCheck `
-TaskSequenceName $tsNameOsd `
-StepName $tsStepNameCheckReady `
-CheckPowerState $false `
-CheckNetworkWired $falseThis Microsoft example disables AC-power and wired-network checks. Apply that change only when the deployment policy permits it: it may suit a desktop sequence but undermine a laptop upgrade or a deployment that requires reliable wired connectivity. See Set-CMTSStepPrestartCheck.
Built-in checks or custom preflight logic?
Choose the built-in step when
- The requirement maps directly to a supported check.
- The sequence should stop before making changes.
- Users or help-desk staff benefit from Inspect details.
- The same policy should apply consistently across deployments.
- Logging and
_TS_CR*variables are useful for reporting or branching.
Use conditions or scripts when
- You need application-specific logic or complex WMI queries.
- Your organization maintains a CPU allowlist or denylist.
- You must validate Secure Boot, encryption, a particular volume, custom registry data, or other controls not exposed by the step.
- Several custom conditions must be combined into one deployment decision.
A custom preflight can complement Check Readiness; it does not need to replace the standard checks that already match your policy.
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Quick Recap
Production checklist
- Confirm site and client versions, then update clients after site upgrades.
- Review every enabled check in every task-sequence instance.
- Set realistic memory, CPU, disk, OS-version, and client-version thresholds.
- Decide explicitly whether Wi-Fi and battery operation are acceptable.
- Confirm UEFI and TPM requirements for the target deployment.
- Test both pass and fail paths on representative hardware.
- Verify that the error experience and Inspect details are useful.
- Know the
smsts.loglocation in Windows PE and full Windows. - Avoid Continue on error for an enforced production gate unless later steps handle failures intentionally.
- Document remediation for each possible failed prerequisite.
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