[BUG] Claude Setup.exe incorrectly detects Windows S Mode on Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
• [x] This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
• [x] I am using the latest version of Claude Code

What's Wrong?

Product: Claude Desktop (Windows installer)

Severity: Medium — blocks installation entirely on affected editions

Environment:

• OS: Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021
• Edition ID: IoTEnterpriseS
• PowerShell: 7.5.4
• S Mode status: Not active (SkuPolicyRequired: 0)

Description:
Claude Setup.exe refuses to install, claiming that Windows S Mode is active. The system is running Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021, which is not in S Mode. The installer appears to be checking the EditionID registry value (IoTEnterpriseS) and incorrectly interpreting the trailing "S" as indicating S Mode. In LTSC edition naming, the "S" suffix denotes the Long-Term Servicing Channel, not S Mode.

Steps to reproduce:

1. Install Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021 (EditionID: IoTEnterpriseS)
2. Run Claude Setup.exe
3. Installer blocks with an S Mode error

Expected behavior:
Installer should proceed normally, as the system is not in S Mode.

Actual behavior:
Installer refuses to run, citing S Mode restrictions.

Workaround:
Temporarily change the registry value before installing:

Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion" -Name "EditionID" -Value "IoTEnterprise"

Restore after installation:

Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion" -Name "EditionID" -Value "IoTEnterpriseS"

Suggested fix:
Instead of checking the EditionID string for an "S" suffix, the installer should query:

HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\CI\Policy → SkuPolicyRequired

A value of 1 indicates S Mode is active. A value of 0 (or absent) means it is not.

Affected editions (likely):

• IoTEnterpriseS (IoT Enterprise LTSC)
• EnterpriseS (Enterprise LTSC)
• Any edition where the internal ID ends in "S" for non-S-Mode reasons

---

What Should Happen?

It should install and then the magic happens. We all want the magic to happen! Tokens fly, inference, magic... In that order. Also, who the hell runs S mode? Never go full S mode!

Also, you guys may not be supporting Windows 10 IoT Edition LTSC any more, which is probably fair enough. However, letting claude have access to this build for direct hardware access to serial ports and USB stuff that Windows 11 breaks is amazing. IoT Edition is still found in some 'legacy' deployments controlling SCADA/control systems or various IoT devices and leveraging Claude to investigate and diagnose issues form migration to more modern systems has been an interesting and worthwhile experiment. Just saying, people keep finding interesting use cases for your cool software.

Error Messages/Logs

Windows popup message that suggests system is in S mode.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Install Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021 (EditionID: IoTEnterpriseS)
2. Run Claude Setup.exe
3. Installer blocks with an S Mode error

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.1.51

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

Windows Terminal

Additional Information

_No response_