No sound, no Wi-Fi, an install that rolled itself back, a script that suddenly fails - post-upgrade problems feel dramatic but follow a short ladder of causes. Work it in order and most PCs are fixed before the last step.
A feature upgrade re-detects every device and rebuilds core files, so the problems it leaves behind cluster in predictable places: a replaced driver, a half-finished first boot, a removed legacy tool. This page is the ladder - cheapest fix first, rollback last, and one 25H2-specific trap (the removal of WMIC and PowerShell 2.0) that fools a lot of people into thinking something is broken.
Work this ladder in order and stop at the step that fixes it. Do not reinstall Windows as a first response.
Sound gone, Wi-Fi missing, display stretched, printer dead: after a feature upgrade these are driver problems until proven otherwise, because setup re-detects every device.
For a device that vanished entirely, the maker's chipset or network driver package usually brings the whole family back at once.
If apps crash, Settings will not open, or updates keep failing after the upgrade, repair the system files before blaming hardware.
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth and let it finishsfc /scannow and restartOne 25H2-specific trap deserves its own warning: 25H2 removes the old WMIC tool and the PowerShell 2.0 engine. If an old office script or program suddenly fails after the upgrade and its error mentions either of those, nothing is broken - the tool it relied on no longer exists. The fix is to update the script to modern PowerShell commands, which is a small job for whoever wrote it.
A failed feature upgrade that restores the old version is Windows protecting itself. The usual causes are a nearly full system drive, an aggressive third-party antivirus, or a driver Microsoft has flagged. Free at least 25 GB, temporarily uninstall third-party antivirus (Windows Defender protects you meanwhile), disconnect USB drives and docks you do not need, and try once more. If it still fails, note the error code shown - it names the failing stage and makes any further help much faster. And if the upgrade succeeded but the PC is genuinely unusable and you are still inside the window, use the Go back route from the rollback page of this set: that is what it exists for.
The video shows a complete, successful 25H2 upgrade - useful as a reference for what each setup stage should look like when yours stalls.
Watch Full VideoNo - that rollback is a designed safety behaviour. Windows detected a problem during setup and returned the PC to the previous version with your files intact. Free disk space, remove third-party antivirus temporarily and retry once; if it fails again, the error code shown is the clue worth noting.
Most likely they used WMIC or the PowerShell 2.0 engine, both of which Microsoft removed in 25H2 after years of deprecation warnings. Nothing is corrupt - the tool is gone by design. The scripts need their WMIC lines converted to modern PowerShell CIM commands, which is the permanent fix.
Usually one root cause: setup replaced the chipset or platform drivers, taking their dependent devices down together. Install the current chipset package from your PC or motherboard maker first, restart, then handle any device still flagged in Device Manager individually.