Easily FIX SCCM Unable to Read Task Sequence Configuration Disk

In this post, you will see how to FIX SCCM Unable to Read Task Sequence Configuration Disk. This error code prompt when the task sequence fails at initial stage during operating system deployment with Configuration Manager.

I have noticed this issue in SCCM Configuration Facebook Group reported by community members. The error in SCCM Unable to Read Task Sequence Configuration Disk is often seen when you will perform the deployment in new machines or the disk may not be properly formatted.

Being IT admin, we keep used to replacing an HDD on a machine and perform the deployment most of the time. In this scenario, the error code 0x800700A1 has been noticed as well. The error 0x800700A1 Translate SCCM Error Codes to Error Messages “The specified path is invalid.”. More you can check details to posts FIX – Task sequence has failed with the error code 0x800700A1

Issue Description

The Task Sequence error appears at the stage of Initializing Windows PE when you have started the deployment. Task Sequence fails with the following error message –

Task Sequence Error – Unable to read task sequence configuration disk. For more information, contact your system administrator or helpdesk operator.

It’s best to examine the SMSTS.log to troubleshoot OSD-related problems, learning to read SMSTS.log is very important, and be aware of the location of SMSTS log files for different phases of deployment. More you can explore SCCM OSD Task Sequence Troubleshooting Steps by Step Ultimate Guide SMSTS.log.

Here’s the highlight from the SMSTS.log –

FIX – SCCM Unable to Read Task Sequence Configuration Disk

To fix SCCM Unable to Read Task Sequence Configuration Disk, The drive needs to be formatted before continuing with the task sequence. Let’s follow the steps below to format the hard drive –

If you’re already in the error windows, Unable to read the task sequence configuration disk. For more information, contact your system administrator or helpdesk operator. Press F8 to launch the command prompt window or Restart the machine and boot with the same task sequence.

Important – Enable command support (F8) that is not recommended for production use. You can explore the available command prompt support option in Boot Image.

The diskpart command interpreter helps you manage your computer’s drives (disks, partitions, volumes, or virtual hard disks). Type the following commands in the command prompt –

Diskpart
List disk                (Displays all the disks on the device)
Select disk 0            
Clean                    (Wipes the disk)
Create partition primary (Creates windows partition)
Select partition 1
Format quick fs=NTFS     (Format primary partition)
Assign letter C
Exit

Once you are done with the above steps, Restart the target machine and reinitiate the task sequence deployment, It should continue without any errors.

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Resources

• SCCM OSD SMSTS Log File Reading Tips | ConfigMgr | MEMCM
• OSD Known Issues Troubleshooting Guide |SCCM |ConfigMgr

Author

About Author -> Jitesh has over 5 years of working experience in the IT Industry. He writes and shares his experiences related to Microsoft device management technologies and IT Infrastructure management. His primary focus area is Windows 10 Deployment solution with Configuration Manager, Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT), and Microsoft Intune.