Windows 10 20H2 Crashes When Connecting Thunderbolt NVMe SSDs

Microsoft says that devices running Windows 10 2004 or Windows 10 20H2 might crash with blue screens of death (BSODs) when users plug in a Thunderbolt NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) Solid State Drive (SSD).

Affected devices will also display a “DRIVER_VERIFIER_DMA_VIOLATION (e6). An illegal DMA operation was attempted by a driver being verified.” stop error.

Safeguard hold added to block upgrades

Windows 10 devices with at least one Thunderbolt NVMe SSD and one Thunderbolt port are the ones impacted by this new known issue.

Microsoft has also added a new compatibility hold to prevent affected devices from being offered Windows 10, version 2004 or Windows 10, version 20H2 upgrades.

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“Your PC has hardware that isn’t ready for this version of Windows 10,” the update block message reads. “Windows Update will automatically offer you this version of Windows 10 once the issue has been resolved.”

Intel and Microsoft are currently working on a fix for this known issue, with an update to address the problem to be made available with an upcoming Windows 10 release.

Until a resolution for the Thunderbolt NVMe SSD compatibility issue will be offered with a future update, Microsoft urges affected users to “not attempt to manually update using the Update now button or the Media Creation Tool until the safeguard is removed.”

Other 20H2 known issues under investigation

Redmond is also currently investigating an issue leading to missing system and user certificates after updating managed Windows 10 systems using outdated installation media via update management tools, physical media, or ISO images.

Windows 10 computers with some Conexant, Synaptics, or Conexant ISST audio drivers are also experiencing issues with the May 2020 and October 2020 Windows 10 updates — both client (Windows 10 2004 and 20H2) and server (Windows Server 2004 and 20H2) platforms.

Microsoft has added two additional safeguard holds to block users of such devices from experiencing blue screens or errors during or while upgrading the OS.

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Redmond is currently working with Synaptics on a resolution for these two additional issues. They are planning to provide a fix with an upcoming Windows 10 update.