Unlike most other error codes on Windows, the What Needs Your Attention error can have multiple reasons.
If you take a closer look at the error dialog, you can figure out what’s going on and implement appropriate troubleshooting strategies. Typically, you will see one of the following messages in the description below the error code:
- flight signing
- Incompatible privacy settings
- No action is required
- Incompatible application or program
- The PC does not meet the minimum requirements
Below we have discussed in detail how to deal with all these messages.
Table of Contents
1. Flight Signing
This message indicates that you are attempting to install a pre-release version of Windows. The best way to explore the new features and provide feedback is to sign up for the Insider program.
The Insider Preview Build Dev Channel is for those who are more tech savvy. If you just want to see what’s next for Windows users, you can start with the Beta Channel. However, if you don’t want to sign up for the Insider program, it’s best to wait until Windows officially releases the new version.
2. Incompatible privacy settings
By default, Windows provides the applications and programs installed on it with a limited set of permissions, which are usually enough for the application to run smoothly.
If you are trying to perform an action that requires additional access to the system, you can change the Windows privacy settings. However, we strongly recommend restoring the privacy settings to their default state after performing the desired action.
Follow these steps to edit privacy settings:
- Press Win + I together to open Windows settings.
- Choose privacy from the list of available options.
- You should see a list of options on the General tab. Activate them as needed.
- To grant permissions for specific applications, go to App Permissions section in the left pane.
- Select the permissions you want to provide and turn on the switch for them.
While you are, you might also want to consider temporarily disabling your third-party antivirus or Windows Defender Firewall and see if that makes a difference. Again, however, make sure you turn them on right after performing the required process, as disabling them for a long time can leave your computer vulnerable to malware and viruses.
3. Incompatible application
Incompatible applications can also trigger errors like this one. This usually happens when an incompatible application or program is interfering with Windows processes.
If the error dialog on your screen indicates that an incompatible application is causing the error, the first thing you should do is end the application’s process via Task Manager. This will stop the app from running in the background and hopefully fix the issue.
- Type task manager in Windows search and click Open.
- On the Processes tab, locate the target application and right-click on it.
- Choose end task from the context menu and see if that fixes the error.
Another way to fix incompatible applications is to update them. If the target app is causing the problem because it is outdated and corrupted, an update may be enough for you.
- Open the Windows Store app and click the library icon located in the lower left corner of the window.
- Click on that get updates Button. The Windows Store does not start checking for the latest available updates.
- If there are any available updates, the store will download them for you, but if the applications are already up to date, you’ll get a message that you’re good to go.
If these two methods don’t work for you, we recommend uninstalling the problematic application. You can reinstall it once you bypass the error code.
To uninstall the program, simply go to the Control Panel and select Uninstall a program. Then right-click on the target application and select it Uninstall. Follow the on-screen steps to complete the process.
4. No action is required
If the error says no action is required on your part, it is most likely a driver or Windows service issue. This isn’t really a situation to worry about as Windows will tell you that you don’t need to do anything.
However, if you don’t want to wait for Windows to fix the problem, you can start troubleshooting yourself. You must first verify what could be causing the problem by viewing the Windows Setup log files.
- Launch File Explorer and navigate to the following location:
C:$WINDOWS.~BTSourcesPanther
- search for CompatData_ file and launch the latest one with Notepad.
- In the window that opens, look for lines with BlockMigration=”True” under Driver Packages, noting the INF number.
- Restart File Explorer and this time navigate to the following location:
C:WindowsINF
- Locate and open the INF files you noted earlier.
- Scroll down the file and under Abstract you will see the filename that indicates the driver or service.
- Once you identify the culprit, launch Control Panel and go to programs Section.
- Click on Turn Windows features on or off in the left panel.
- In the following dialog, look for the culprit and uncheck the associated check box.
- Then go back to File Explorer and navigate to the following location:
C:$WINDOWS.~BTSourcesPanther
- Delete those compatscancache.dat file from there.
- You can now reopen the What needs your attention dialog and click Refresh button. to continue the process.
5. PC does not meet the minimum requirements
Finally, if you try to upgrade to a version of Windows (most likely Windows 11) for which you don’t meet the minimum requirements, you’ll need to switch to another device that does meet the requirements.
If this is not an option for you, you can read our guide on how to bypass the Windows 11 minimum installation requirements to proceed.
Resolving the “What needs your attention” error
The above methods should help you to fix “What needs your attention” error in Windows. After completing the troubleshooting steps, click the Update button in the same dialog box and hopefully the pending process will continue.
This article was previously published on Source link
