Solving Windows 10 upgrade issues
It took me a while, but I finally managed to upgrade my Windows 8.1 Pro to Windows 10 Pro. It would seem that the upgrade either works flawlessly the first time, or it is a real pain in the ass; unfortunately the latter scenario was what I encountered. Why didn’t mine work OK – I don’t know why. My laptop is nothing out of the ordinary; it has a reasonable spec :- An HP Pavilion with an i7 processor, 8Gb RAM and 1Tb hard disk.
I had to download the ISO file from Microsoft, and burn a DVD as I could not get the upgrade downloaded to Windows update to work. I also wasted some time by not verifying the DVD after I burnt it, and tried to run the install from DVD, which packed up half way through with disk errors, so I had to burn a new disk.
So, was all the hassle worth it. Yes. I’m still working my way through Windows 10 features, but it is definitely a much better product than Windows 8. The only major dislike I have is that there is no way I have found (yet) to turn off the automatic update feature.
Some hints and tips you may wish to consider doing yourself
Back up your system disk where your current installation is installed. I don’t keep any data on my C: drive – I have other drive partitions where I store this and back these up separately. I use Easeus TODO Workstation software to backup onto a Synology network server, and that is separately backed up onto Amazon S3 cloud. ( I like to be secure!). My C: drive backup was large – 165Gb. I’s also worth doing a test to ensure you have a valid backup and that your recovery software can access the backup.
Go into Windows Update and install any outstanding updates for your current Windows version, including Optional updates. I have my updates set to install manually so I had quite a few of these. Check they have worked ( they don’t always) and reapply any that fail.
Download the Windows 10 ISO install file and burn and VERIFY an install DVD.
Download and run Slim Drivers, and install all the latest updates for your computer. You don’t need to reboot until you do the last update.
Scan your PC with your current Antivirus software to ensure that there are no nasties lurking around. I use ESET Smart Security and also Malawarebytes.
Uninstall your antivirus software – don’t just turn it off. You can reinstall this again once you have completed the upgrade. Check to see if there was a specific new update for Windows 10, and download this. There was a Windows 10 update for ESET.
Go into Task Manager (CTRL,Shift,Esc) Startup tab and disable any non-vital startup programs. If you are not sure leave it alone.
Disconnect any unnecessary devices, such as cameras, external disk drives, SSDs, etc – just leave mouse and keyboard if required.
Make sure there is no rubbish left around from previous upgrades or failed upgrade attempts.
Go to C:\$Windows.~BT folder and ensure the Hidden items option is checked in the toolbar section of the window. Delete many files and folders as possible. Some files cannot be deleted due to permissions issues.
Do the same for C:\$Windows.~WS\
If you have problems with this open a Command Window in Administrator mode and run the following commands (you can cut and paste them):
takeown /F C:\$Windows.~BT\* /R /A
icacls C:\$Windows.~BT\*.* /T /grant administrators:F
rmdir /S /Q C:\$Windows.~BT\
takeown /F C:\$Windows.~WS\* /R /A
icacls C:\$Windows.~WS\*.* /T /grant administrators:F
rmdir /S /Q C:\$Windows.~WS\
Now you are ready to go. Insert the DVD and start the install. It will take a long time! At some point you may start to worry that the install has hung. The point to note is – Is your machine looking dead, or is it making some noise? Is the drive light flickering or flashing? If so, then it is best to wait.
Microsoft has detailed a few points in particular, where the Windows 10 upgrade process may appear to hang:
At 30-39% : At the black screen with a blue circle. Here Windows 10 is still downloading all dynamic updates for Windows 10
At 96%: Windows 10 is busy backing up your data
At message: It’s taking a bit longer than usual to set up your device, but it should be ready soon. Things are just about done – just hang in there!
Good Luck!
