Windows11LBFO

This repository provides scripts to enable Load Balancing/Failover (LBFO) and NIC teaming on Windows 11 installations, which is not natively supported. The Install-LBFO.ps1 script installs the LBFO provider, Uninstall-LBFO.ps1 removes it, and Verify-LBFO-Cleanup.ps1 checks for residual LBFO configurations. The repository includes the necessary extracted Server 2022 Index 4 files in the extracted\4 folder, along with PsExec.exe and sigcheck64.exe from Sysinternals.

Prerequisites

• Windows 11 system with administrative privileges.
• PowerShell (included with Windows 11).
• The extracted\4 folder, PsExec.exe, and sigcheck64.exe are already included in the repository.

Installation

1. Clone or Download the Repository:

   • Clone the repository or download and extract the ZIP file to a folder, e.g., C:\Temp\Windows11LBFO.
   • Ensure PsExec.exe, sigcheck64.exe, and the extracted\4 folder are in the repository root.

2. Run the Install Script:

   • Open an elevated PowerShell prompt (Run as Administrator).
   • Navigate to the repository folder:

     cd C:\Temp\Windows11LBFO

   • Run the install script:

     powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\Install-LBFO.ps1

   • The script will:
     • Clean existing LBFO configurations.
     • Copy driver files from extracted\4 to C:\Windows\....
     • Register driver catalogs for trust.
     • Install the LBFO provider using pnputil and netcfg.
     • Set up necessary registry entries.
     • Reboot the system to complete enumeration.

3. Verify Installation (Post-Reboot):

   • After the automatic reboot, open an elevated PowerShell prompt.
   • Run these commands to confirm LBFO is enabled:

     type C:\ProgramData\LBFO\install.log
     sc.exe query mslbfoprovider
     netcfg -s s | findstr /i ms_lbfo
     Get-NetLbfoTeam
     Get-NetAdapter | Select-Object Name, Status, LinkSpeed
     New-NetLbfoTeam -Name "Team0" -TeamNicName "Team0" -TeamMembers "Ethernet" -TeamingMode SwitchIndependent -LoadBalancingAlgorithm Dynamic -Verbose -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

   • Expected output:
     • install.log: Shows successful cleanup, file copy, catalog registration, and driver installation.
     • sc.exe query mslbfoprovider: Shows STATE: 4 RUNNING or 1 STOPPED.
     • netcfg -s s: Includes MS_LBFO.
     • Get-NetLbfoTeam: Lists Team0 if created, or nothing if not yet created.
     • Get-NetAdapter: Lists network adapters (e.g., Ethernet Up 2.5 Gbps).
     • New-NetLbfoTeam: Successfully creates Team0, possibly prompting for confirmation.

Uninstallation

1. Run the Uninstall Script:

   • Open an elevated PowerShell prompt.
   • Navigate to the repository folder:

     cd C:\Temp\Windows11LBFO

   • Run the uninstall script:

     powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\Uninstall-LBFO.ps1

   • The script will:
     • Stop and delete the mslbfoprovider service.
     • Remove LBFO-related registry entries.
     • Delete driver files and DriverStore entries.
     • Queue file deletions for reboot if needed.
     • Reboot the system to complete cleanup.

2. Verify Uninstallation:

   • After reboot, run the verification script:

     powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\Verify-LBFO-Cleanup.ps1

   • The script checks for residual LBFO configurations and logs results to C:\ProgramData\LBFO\verify_cleanup.log.
   • Expected output:
     • No mslbfoprovider service (sc query mslbfoprovider fails with error 1060).
     • No ms_lbfo in netcfg -s s.
     • No LBFO-related registry entries or files.

Troubleshooting

• Check Logs:
  • Installation log: C:\ProgramData\LBFO\install.log
  • PsExec logs: C:\ProgramData\LBFO\psexec_err.log, C:\ProgramData\LBFO\psexec_out.log
  • Cleanup verification log: C:\ProgramData\LBFO\verify_cleanup.log
• Test PsExec:

  C:\Temp\Windows11LBFO\PsExec.exe -accepteula -s -i -h powershell.exe -Command "whoami"

  Expected output: nt authority\system. If it fails, download a fresh PsExec.exe or disable antivirus temporarily.
• Run Without PsExec: Modify Install-LBFO.ps1 or Uninstall-LBFO.ps1 to skip PsExec by replacing the main block with:

  try {
    New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $ProgramDataDir -Force | Out-Null
    Stage-And-Install  # or Clean-LBFO for uninstall
  } catch {
    Fatal $_.Exception.Message
  }

  Then run as Administrator.
• Verify Source Files:

  Test-Path 'C:\Temp\Windows11LBFO\extracted\4\Windows\System32\drivers\mslbfoprovider.sys'
  Test-Path 'C:\Temp\Windows11LBFO\extracted\4\Windows\System32\drivers\en-US\mslbfoprovider.sys.mui'
  Test-Path 'C:\Temp\Windows11LBFO\extracted\4\Windows\System32\DriverStore\en-US\MsLbfoProvider.inf_loc'
  Test-Path 'C:\Temp\Windows11LBFO\extracted\4\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\mslbfoprovider.inf_amd64_f9d27a6b05ef21aa\mslbfoprovider.inf'
  Test-Path 'C:\Temp\Windows11LBFO\extracted\4\Windows\System32\CatRoot\{F750E6C3-38EE-11D1-85E5-00C04FC295EE}\Microsoft-Windows-Server-Features-Package016~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.20348.3932.cat'
  Test-Path 'C:\Temp\Windows11LBFO\extracted\4\Windows\System32\CatRoot\{F750E6C3-38EE-11D1-85E5-00C04FC295EE}\Microsoft-Windows-ServerCore-Drivers-merged-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.20348.3932.cat'

• Manual Install Test (if needed):

  $inf = "C:\Windows\INF\MsLbfoProvider.inf"
  pnputil /add-driver $inf /install
  netcfg -v -l $inf -c s -i ms_lbfo
  sc.exe start mslbfoprovider
  netcfg -s s | findstr /i ms_lbfo

Notes

• Teaming: After installation, create NIC teams with New-NetLbfoTeam. Start with one adapter (e.g., "Ethernet") to avoid binding issues, then add more with Add-NetLbfoTeamMember.
• Manual Installation: If the script fails, use ncpa.cpl -> Have Disk, pointing to C:\Windows\INF\MsLbfoProvider.inf.
• Support: For issues, check logs and open an issue on the GitHub repository with the relevant log files and outputs.