Windows ADK upgrade to 10.1.26100.2454

Hi Swati Arora,

Moving to the 26100 ADK requires you to generate a brand-new WinPE image because servicing an existing Windows 10-based boot.wim with Windows 11-based binaries often leads to versioning conflicts in the registry and the component store. By using the fresh winpe.wim found in the %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment path, you ensure that all underlying binaries are natively signed with the Microsoft UEFI CA 2023. This is vital because the new boot image will include both the 2011 and 2023 signatures, allowing it to remain bootable after the 2011 certificate is eventually revoked at the firmware level.

You can't skip the Windows PE Add-on installation even if your workflow focuses on WinRE. The base ADK installation only provides the deployment tools and command-line utilities, while the actual bootable environment source files reside exclusively within the Add-on. Without this component, you will lack the necessary files to create or modify any recovery or deployment media. Since version 26100 is based on the Windows 11 architecture, you must also account for the fact that x86 (32-bit) WinPE is no longer supported; you will be working strictly with x64 environments.

Regarding the certificate transition, while the new ADK handles the software side, your primary manual action is ensuring your BIOS updates successfully apply the updated Secure Boot Forbidden Signature Database (DBX) to your hardware fleet. If the BIOS upgrade does not correctly update the Revocation List, your devices might still be vulnerable or fail to validate the new signatures correctly. Additionally, ensure any custom drivers you inject into the new WinPE are compatible with the latest UEFI requirements to prevent "Digital Signature" error codes during the boot sequence.

Hope this answer brought you some useful information. If it did, please hit “accept answer”. Should you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment.

VP

The Windows ADK 10.1.26100.2454 (December 2024), when serviced with the latest ADK patch, is the currently recommended version and supports Windows 10 and Windows 11, including Windows 10 22H2.

From the provided information, only the following points are supported:

1. The ADK and WinPE add-on installers in 10.1.26100.2454 have been updated to remove a vulnerability in the KitBuilder infrastructure, and the ADK patch KB5079391 fixes CVE‑2026‑25166 in WSIM and adds Secure Boot validation improvements in the OA3 Tool. There is no explicit statement in the context about which specific Secure Boot certificates (2011 vs 2023) are present in the boot.wim or WinRE images created with this ADK.
2. To use Windows PE features (including creating or updating WinPE boot images), the Windows PE add-on for the ADK 10.1.26100.2454 must be installed. The context does not state that the WinPE add-on is optional if only WinRE is used, nor does it describe a WinRE‑only workflow for this ADK version.
3. The OA3 Tool in the patched ADK is updated to validate Secure Boot certificate configuration on factory-built devices due to Secure Boot CA expirations beginning in June 2026, and OEMs are recommended to adopt this ADK and use the updated OA3 Tool for all factory provisioning. The context does not state that no further action is required after ADK upgrade and BIOS updates, nor does it describe all post‑expiration behaviors or required steps.
4. The ADK patch mechanism allows updating ADK 10.1.26100.2454 and newer without uninstalling/reinstalling the entire kit. When a significant security patch is released, it is explicitly called out on the ADK servicing page. For this ADK version, applying KB5079391 (or newer) is explicitly recommended.

Because the context does not provide detailed guidance on:

• whether to reuse an existing boot.wim vs. recreate a new WinPE image in this specific upgrade scenario,
• exact certificate contents (2011 and 2023) of new boot images or WinRE,
• or a complete list of prerequisites and post‑upgrade steps for Secure Boot key rollover, no additional steps or guarantees beyond the above can be stated based on the provided material.

References:

• What's new in the ADK tools
• Download and install the Windows ADK
• Download and Install the Windows ADK Patches
• Customize Windows PE boot images