"netwtw10.sys" Blue Screen during Windows 11 installation

August 2 2023 12:30am

If you encounter a Blue Screen during the installation of Windows 11 displaying an error that mentions "netwtw10.sys", you'll need to set WiFi into a "fallback" mode.

PLEASE NOTE: This should only be required if you created the Windows installer utilizing Rufus, Ventoy, or similar tools. Installers created using Microsoft's Media Creation Tool are automatically detected by BIOS and should not require this workaround. 

While booting the laptop, enter BIOS by tapping F2. Select Setup Utility, then Advanced, and set WiFi Mode to "Fallback". Save the settings, exit BIOS, and reboot back into the Windows installer. After installing the Framework Laptop Driver Bundle for 13th Gen Intel Core, you'll get updated, compatible Intel WiFi drivers, and the installer will also automatically change the WiFi Mode back to the default.

The root cause of this issue is that the default Windows 11 image has an outdated version of Intel WiFi drivers.