This week, Microsoft published a Windows Support document detailing a frustrating problem: Users receiving a “This PC can’t be upgraded to Windows 10” error on computers that have a USB device or SD card attached.

The root of the issue is “inappropriate drive reassignment,” which can occur on Windows 10-based machines that have an external USB or SD memory card attached during the installation of the update, according to the document. When these devices are in place, they can block the computer from getting the update, generating the error message if the update is attempted again.

SEE: 20 pro tips to make Windows 10 work the way you want (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

For example, if an upgrade to the May 2019 version is attempted on a computer with a thumb drive inserted into a USB port, the device is reassigned to a different drive letter, instead of being mounted in the system as drive G, the document said.

Internal hard drives may also be affected by drive reassignment, along with the removable devices.

Luckily, there is a simple fix for this: Simply remove the USB device or SD card, and restart the May 2019 Update Installation, Microsoft said.

The problem will be fixed in a future Windows 10 servicing update, Microsoft noted. For Windows Insiders, the problem is resolved in build 18877 and later.

The Windows 10 May 2019 Update will be released next month. The update packages are already available on MSDN, our sister site ZDNet noted.

For more information, check out the TechRepublic Windows 10 Cheat Sheet.