Server 2025 auto upgrade?

Topic

I was doing some maintenance on a Server 2022 VM in Azure this morning when I came across this (you can ignore the Defender update failure):

My colleague also came across this worrying Reddit thread where some 2022 servers had automatically upgraded to 2025:
https://www.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/1gk2qdu/windows_2022_servers_unexpectedly_upgrading_to/

I wonder is this just an Azure thing or is this across the board?

Replies

steeviebops wrote:

My colleague also came across this worrying Reddit thread where some 2022 servers had automatically upgraded to 2025:
https://www.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/1gk2qdu/windows_2022_servers_unexpectedly_upgrading_to/

I wonder is this just an Azure thing or is this across the board?

Looks like a Heimdal thing?

b wrote:

steeviebops wrote:

My colleague also came across this worrying Reddit thread where some 2022 servers had automatically upgraded to 2025:
https://www.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/1gk2qdu/windows_2022_servers_unexpectedly_upgrading_to/

I wonder is this just an Azure thing or is this across the board?

Looks like a Heimdal thing?

Even if that is the case, this is still a big change.

Server versions up to now have been LTSC releases and didn’t receive upgrades through Windows Update. It seems that they now do. That top screenshot is my own and we don’t use Heimdal. I’ve had to downgrade servers to older Windows Server versions in the past to support third-party applications that didn’t support the current version, this could be a big concern if the version can be upgraded easily via Windows Update or (potentially) automatically.

Seeing this on both 2019 and 2022 servers….

investigating – but seems to be only triggered if you click “Download and Update” usual check for updates functions without kicking off 2025 installer…

If you do ‘accidentally’ click the DOWNLOAD and INSTALL 2025, you get another screen warning about licensing etc. and the ability to cancel.

This is just like the win10 –> win11 inplace upgrade method, but for servers you get  additional ‘safety net’ message of a further cancel due to licensing costs warning.

i did try to attach image of ‘safetynet’ message but couldnt..

Guess this might be the new normal going forward from MS

I guess vigilence is required for manual patching, and urge double checking any patch deployments for the approaching november whether from WSUS or SCCM – **other patching products are available

 

This is getting to be a real issue. Susan has just posted a notice here on AskWoody, and a discussion for it has already gotten going at the following location here on AskWoody:

https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/servers-getting-upgraded-to-2025/

Moderator’s Note: Topic now closed to avoid duplicate threads. Please continue the discussion at the link above.