How to fix the Modern Setup Host error

by Matthew Adams

Windows & Software Expert

Matthew is a freelancer who has produced a variety of articles on various topics related to technology. His main focus is the Windows OS and all the things surrounding it. He is passionate about... Read more

Updated: May 28, 2020

Posted: Aug 27, 2019

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With Windows 7 well over the end of support, more users are upgrading to Windows 10. However, a Modern Setup Host has stopped working error can arise for some users.

This happens especially when trying to upgrade to Windows 10 with the Media Creation Tool. Consequently, users can’t upgrade to Windows 10 from Windows 7 or 8 when that error message pops up.

Modern Setup Host is an installer contained in a self-extracting archive within the $Windows.BTSources folder.

That is a process required for the installation of Win 10 build updates and when running the setup to upgrade to Windows 10.

Some users might see the Modern Setup Host process on Task Manager’s Processes tab.

How can I fix the Modern Setup Host error?

1. Free up some hard drive storage space

First, make sure there’s enough hard drive system partition space to upgrade to Windows 10. Users will need at least 15 GB free HDD storage to upgrade to Win 10 with the Media Creation Toolkit.

The best way to free up storage space is usually to uninstall superfluous software. Check out the post below for some tips to free up hard drive storage.

 Interested in finding the best methods to free up hard disk space on PC? We’re here to help you out!

2. Clean Boot Windows

1. Clean-booting Windows will ensure that third-party software doesn’t conflict with the upgrade process in any way. Start by pressing the Windows key + R, enter msconfig in Run, and click the OK button.
2. On the System Configuration window’s General tab, click the Selective startup radio button.
3. Then select the Use original boot configuration and Load system services checkboxes.
4. Deselect the Load startup items check box to remove third-party programs from the system startup.
5. Next, select the Services tab shown directly below.
6. Click the Hide all Microsoft services checkbox.
7. Select the Disable all option.
8. Press the Apply button, and click OK to exit System Configuration.
9. Then select the Restart option.
10. Thereafter, try upgrading to Windows 10 again.

3. Check the Default Language is configured to U.S. English

1. Some users have said that adjusting the Windows language settings to U.S. English can fix the MSH error. To do that, press the Windows key + R hotkey.
2. Enter Control Panel in the Open box, and click the OK button.
3. Click the View by drop-down menu to select Category.
4. Click Clock, Language, and Region to open the applet.
5. Then click Region and Language to open a Region and Language window.
6. Click the Location tab on that window.
7. Select United States in the Current location drop-down menu.
8. Then click Change keyboards on the Keyboards and Languages tab.
9. Select the General tab on the Text Services window that opens.
10. Then select English (United States) on the Default input language drop-down menu.
11. Select the Apply option, and press the OK button to exit the window.
12. Thereafter, restart the desktop or laptop.

4. Run setupprep.exe to Resume the System Upgrade

1. Users can try resuming the upgrade process after the Modern Setup Host has stopped working error message pops up. To do that, exit Windows Media Creation after the error arises.
2. Open Run with the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut.
3. Then enter C:$Windows.~WSSourcesWindowssourcessetupprep.exe in Run, as shown directly below, and press the OK button.

5. Run Deployment Image and System File Scans

1. Repairing a corrupted image or system files might also resolve the Modern Setup Host error. Open the Run accessory.
2. Enter Command Prompt in Run, and press the Ctrl + Shift + Alt hotkey, which open an elevated Command Prompt.
3. Enter  DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:C:RepairSourceWindows/LimitAccess in the Prompt and press Return.
4. Then input sfc /scannow in the Command Prompt and press Enter to run the System File Checker scan.

5. Restart the desktop or laptop if the SFC scan fixes something.

Those are some potential resolutions that might fix the Modern Setup Host error for some users. They can also upgrade to Windows 10 with a bootable USB drive that includes a Win 10 image.

This post provides further details on how users can set up bootable Windows 10 USB drives for UEFI systems.

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