Windows Server 2025 released this week along with System Center 2025. The company also released a list of validated processors for the LTSC version.
However, no one can say that everything went smoothly, which is common with most major Windows updates, as some system administrators began to find that their systems are automatically upgraded to Windows Server 2025 from Server 2022.
This particular problem is caused by KB5044284, the October Patch Tuesday update for Windows 11, and not any version of Windows Server.
This is a big problem because, unlike Windows Updates, Windows Server builds are not free and require a separate license.
One of the affected users reported that “all of our Windows 2022 servers either upgraded to 2025 overnight or were about to. This obviously came as a shock, as we couldn't do it for many reasons and of course because there wouldn't be the required permission".
It seems that Microsoft messed up the labeling of updates in its API, causing third-party tools to see Windows Server as a security update. According to reports, the main problem seems to be that Microsoft mistakenly marked the Windows Server 2025 upgrade (KB5044284) as a security update in its Windows Update API.
In October, Microsoft released Windows 5044284 11H24 update KB2, which is a security update. However, due to some error on Microsoft's part, this update was misclassified and was giving an upgrade path to Windows Server 2025 via the API.
What can go wrong if this happens?
- The company may not have licenses for Windows Server 2025.
- There is no easy way to go back to Windows Server 2022.
- The servers are unlicensed and may experience operational issues.
For me, the notification appeared on Windows Server 2019 as well!