Unable To Download Pxe Variable File. Exit Code 14 Sccm ~upd~ Jun 2026

Look for lines immediately preceding the "Exit code 14" message. You will typically see one of the following underlying errors: Failed to send request to download PXE variable file CryptVerifySignature failed 401 Unauthorized or 403 Forbidden Failed to get client identity Common Root Causes and Solutions 1. Network and Network Interface Card (NIC) Driver Issues

Indicates an issue with the Network Access Account or client certificates.

When this error appears in the smsts.log , it is usually accompanied by the error PxeGetPxeData failed with 0x8004016c . The issue can be isolated to four common architectural failure points: Failure Mechanism unable to download pxe variable file. exit code 14 sccm

When faced with Exit Code 14, do not guess. Read the logs.

To understand the error, you must first understand the choreography of a PXE boot in SCCM. Look for lines immediately preceding the "Exit code

for your hardware manufacturer:

Look for these key lines:

In the WinPE command prompt, open the log by typing: X:\windows\temp\smstslog\smsts.log (you can use notepad.exe to open it).