Can't update to 1909 or 2004

MikeTimbers · 29 Nov 2020 at 23:21

Hi, I'm getting an error installing 1909 on a machine. Tried everything and it just won't update. Downloaded 2004 and tried to do an install of that keeping apps and files and that failed too. I've run sfc, DSIM, registry cleaners, uninstalled Avast/Malwarebytes, cleared as much as possible from C, really don't want to do a clean install.

windowsupdate.log shows nothing useful.

Any advice?

bremen1874 · 29 Nov 2020 at 23:44

Do you have a spare drive you could use for a test clean install? It's be good to know that there wasn't a problem beyond a possibly corrupted installation of Windows.

Elevon · 30 Nov 2020 at 10:48

BTW did you try to install it via Windows Media tool on USB?..I would try a different USB and do another download on Media Creation tool for Win10.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10

MikeTimbers · 30 Nov 2020 at 16:53

Installed to a new drive from a USB with no problem on the same hardware.

Now going to try doing a repair windows from an external drive

MikeTimbers · 30 Nov 2020 at 23:27

no joy, tried everything. Will do a full re-install

MikeTimbers · 2 Dec 2020 at 09:14

I hate Windows. So I wiped the 1TB SSD and did a full re-install. Updated fine to 1909, updated "fine" to 2004. Fully patched. Then started to get BSOD KMODE errors. Could not keep the machine running for more than a few minutes before identical BSOD.

Got a hard drive and installed Linux Mint 20, patched, installed Folding@Home and it happily folded on its GPU all night without any issue whatsoever. Identical hardware, cables, etc. other than switching out the SSD for a HDD and changing the OS.

Why is Windows so damned unhelpful when it has problems?

bremen1874 · 2 Dec 2020 at 09:23

Why are you installing such an old version and then upgrading? Download a fresh installer and do it in a single step.

if you’re overclocked, back it off a bit or run at stock during the install.

MikeTimbers · 2 Dec 2020 at 10:01

that's my next step. by the way, no overclock. machine was stable but "unupdateable" for months before this

Elevon · 9 Dec 2020 at 10:24

I would check your ram as well, ie memory test, never know when a memory stick goes faulty ie on Windows upgrade etc...

MikeTimbers · 9 Dec 2020 at 15:47

Well, it's been an interesting journey. I tried to completely re-install and got frequent reboots at less than ten minute intervals. Moved the GPU into machine2 where it behaved much better but still was rebooting once or twice a day.

Tried to flash the BIOS of the worse machine1 and it hung during the flash - dead mobo. Ordered a new B450, i3-10100F and 8GB DDR4 which went in yesterday. Happy machine1. Moved the GPU into the new mobo and all perfect.

Meanwhile machine2 was rebooting more and more frequently so I switched its PSU and all happy again.

So basically, one iffy motherboard/CPU/RAM in machine 1 and completely separately, machine2 with a failing PSU (Kolink).

Have ordered a new BIOS chip for the dead mobo and will then do some heavy testing to see if it has a fault.