How Do I Fix Error 0x80070057 During Windows Server Upgrade After Migration?

Symptom

After a Windows server was migrated to a target ECS using SMS, the OS version upgrade (for example, from Windows Server 2016 to Windows Server 2019/2022) failed with an error and rolled back. The reported error is as follows:

Operation failed: Process Drivers for Migration. Error: 0x80070057

Fault Cause

This issue is primarily caused by a compatibility conflict between the Windows upgrade program and pre-injected drivers. During the Windows upgrade, the system enumerates and verifies all installed drivers. If there are records of Virtio drivers deployed via non-standard methods (such as offline injection), the upgrade program may fail to correctly identify the driver package structure or paths. This triggers the parameter error (0x80070057) during the driver migration stage, leading to the upgrade failure.

Solution

Manually install the standard Virtio drivers and clear redundant driver package entries from the registry.

Create an ECS snapshot.
1. Stop the ECS to be upgraded. For details, see Managing ECS Status.
2. Create a snapshot for the system disk to ensure that the system disk can be quickly restored if an exception occurs. For details, see Creating an EVS Snapshot.
Cleaning the registry is a high-risk operation. Be sure to create a snapshot before proceeding.
Update VirtIO drivers.
1. Download VirtIO drivers.
  You can download desired VirtIO drivers from the following path:
  
  https://fedorapeople.org/groups/virt/virtio-win/direct-downloads/archive-virtio/
2. Log in to the Windows ECS.
  Log in to the Windows ECS using VNC. For details, see Logging In to a Windows ECS Using VNC.
  
  Do not use Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) to log in, as the installation updates network card drivers. If you are logged in via RDP, the network card will be in use, which will cause the installation to fail.
3. Install VirtIO drivers.
  Run the installation package as an administrator. For details, see Installing VirtIO Drivers.
Clear conflicting registry entries. The Virtio drivers must be installed before you delete these entries. Otherwise, the system may fail to boot after the registry is cleaned.

Since the target registry entries are system-protected (owned by SYSTEM), a direct deletion will trigger an "Access Denied" error. You must manually take ownership following the steps below before deleting them.
1. Locate the target registry paths.
  Run cmd as an administrator, type regedit to open the Registry Editor, and navigate to the following two paths:
  - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\DriverDatabase\DriverPackages\vioscsi.inf_amd64_hwpv
  - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\DriverDatabase\DriverPackages\viostor.inf_amd64_hwpv
  Verify that the suffix is exactly _hwpv. Deleting the wrong registry entries may prevent the system from booting.
2. Modify permissions and ownership. The following uses vioscsi.inf_amd64_hwpv as an example.
  1. Right-click the target entry and choose Permissions from the shortcut menu.
  2. In the window that is displayed, click Advanced in the lower right corner.
  3. Next to the Owner field at the top, click Change.
  4. Enter Administrator (or your current admin account name) in the object name box, click Check Names, and then click OK.
  5. Check the box Replace owner on subcontainers and objects and click Apply.
  6. Return to the permissions window opened in step 1, select Everyone under Group or user names, and change Permissions for Everyone to Full Control.
3. Perform the deletion.
  After the permissions are modified, right-click and delete the two registry entries ending with _hwpv.
4. Repeat the preceding steps for the viostor.inf_amd64_hwpv registry entry.
5. Retry the upgrade.
  Restart the Windows upgrade program to proceed with the system update.