Change OSD Task Sequence Error Message Timeout Setting for Configuration Manager

When an OSD task sequence fails, Windows PE displays an error dialog before the machine reboots or the task sequence stops — how long that dialog stays on screen is controlled by a task sequence variable rather than a global SCCM setting.

The Variable

SMSTSErrorDialogTimeout

Set this as a task sequence variable (via a Set Task Sequence Variable step near the start of the sequence, or in the collection variables for the deployment) to a value in seconds. For example, to have the error dialog display for 5 minutes before the task sequence times out and reboots automatically:

SMSTSErrorDialogTimeout = 300

This is particularly useful for unattended deployments (kiosks, staging areas) where you don’t want a failed task sequence to sit on screen indefinitely waiting for someone to press a key — setting a shorter timeout means the machine reboots and can be picked up for troubleshooting via logs rather than blocking the deployment bay. Check the smsts.log in X:\Windows\Temp\SMSTSLog (or C:\Windows\CCM\Logs\SMSTS.log post-OS-apply) to confirm the variable was read and applied as expected.

Still Current on Configuration Manager 2603 (Updated for 2026)

This variable is still listed in Microsoft’s live task sequence variable reference for current Configuration Manager (the product formerly branded SCCM, now on the current branch — version 2603 as of mid-2026). The documented default, if you never set the variable at all, is 900 seconds (15 minutes) — so an unattended task sequence that fails will sit at the error dialog for up to 15 minutes before auto-rebooting unless you shorten it explicitly. Nothing about how the error dialog itself is triggered has changed; this remains a straightforward, still-supported variable to set on any current task sequence.

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