By following these causes, fixes, and additional troubleshooting steps, you should be able to resolve the "unable to download PXE variable file, exit code 14" error in SCCM and successfully deploy the operating system to the client computer.
PXE Provider failed to download the PXE variable file. Exit code 14. The Investigation
: Issues with the "Enable PXE responder without Windows Deployment Service" setting on the Distribution Point. Stack Overflow Troubleshooting & Resolution Steps
Log shows Failed to send request with an internet connection error code like 0x80072eff or 0x80072f8f . The Fix:
: Ensure the IssuingCertificateList registry key on the DP matches the one on the Management Point. unable to download pxe variable file. exit code 14 sccm
The SCCM deployment error occurs during Operating System Deployment (OSD) when the Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE) fails to establish a network connection to download the variables.dat environment file from the Distribution Point (DP).
While less common, underlying hardware or firmware issues can also trigger this error.
Right-click your site and select > Software Distribution . Switch to the Network Access Account tab.
If you are seeing the error with Exit Code 14 in your SMSTS.log , your Task Sequence is failing before it even really begins. This error specifically indicates that the SCCM client cannot retrieve the variables.dat file from the Management Point (MP). What Causes Exit Code 14? The Investigation : Issues with the "Enable PXE
to all distribution points.
Ensure the boot image is redistributed to all relevant Distribution Points (DPs). :
The companion error 0x8004016c means "A network error interrupted the operation" —reinforcing that the real issue is network-related, not memory exhaustion.
: The network switch port is performing loop checks, causing a delay that makes WinPE time out before receiving an IP address. Network/Routing Misconfiguration : Incorrect IP Helpers The SCCM deployment error occurs during Operating System
The account configured to pull data during deployment is locked out, has an expired password, or lacks permissions.
One forum user discovered that their issue was caused by mismatched drivers: their SCCM boot image contained the driver, but the new computers required the Intel(R) Ethernet Connection (23) I219-LM driver. Once the correct version was added, the problem disappeared.
This is the most frequently cited culprit. When WinPE boots, it loads a minimal operating environment. If the network driver for the target device's NIC isn't present in the boot image, WinPE cannot establish network connectivity after initial download—making it impossible to download the PXE variable file.
in this context corresponds to the Windows system error ERROR_OUTOFMEMORY (14), meaning "Not enough memory resources are available to complete this operation." However—and this is important—in almost all real-world SCCM cases, the error is not actually about physical memory (RAM). Instead, it's a misleading system error code that fires when the PXE variable file cannot be downloaded correctly.