Windows 10: Can't install feature update 1903 and I'm going to lose support

Hi all.


This is going to be long, but this is a problem that I've been suffering for some years. Some users suggested a temporal patch some months ago, but it's not longer working and my laptop is becoming unusable.


What problem did I have almost two years ago?


For some reason, when the feature update 1803 was rolling, my computer could not finish installing it. The computer always froze at the same step.


I tried everything that was suggested in several forums (including the manufacturer's website and Reddit). That included:

• downloading the update as a standalone installer
• installing the update using the Windows Update Assistant
• stopping the Windows Update service, deleting all the files in Windows/SoftwareDistribution, and restarting the service
• disabling or uninstalling some peripherals
• checking that all the drivers were up to date
• reinstalling the drivers of several components or installing previous versions of these drivers
• scanning the file system for flaws
• running the Windows Update troubleshooter
• running the disk cleanup tool, selecting everything related to updates
• cleaning the registry
• removing unnecessary files
• defragmenting the hard drive

During the troubleshooting process, I found that the Windows update saves a log in C:\$WINDOWS.~BT\Sources\Panther\setupact.log. After each attempt, the log always reached the same line:


Info [0x0808fe] MIG Plugin {ff9c714f-b864-4f43-ae39-ec07d7385abe}: Waiting for device 'pci\ven_1002&dev_6600&subsys_194d103c&rev_00\4&2f7847b&0&0008' to be re-installed.


which, according to some research, corresponded to the step where it tried to install the drivers for the AMD Radeon HD 8600/8700M graphics card. As I stated above, some of the solutions I tried included disabling this device or installing different versions of the drivers.


What about the previous feature updates?


I had the same problem. I solved it every time doing a clean installation of Windows, but I got tired of having to reinstall and configure everything every few months.


What is the problem? Just don't install the update


That is the solution some people gave me. But I couldn't. My computer was stuck in an endless loop where:

• It tried to install the update, but failed. This process spanned about 4 hours.
  
• It restored the system to the previous status. This lasted 1 hour.
• I had one or two days in which I could use the computer normally.
• Then the computer become very slow. This meant that it was downloading the update again.
• And then my computer forced me to install it, going back to step 1.

The temporal solution


Finally, one of the replies to my posts gave me a solution: using the Windows Update Hider Tool.


Windows stopped forcing to install the update and my computer was fully usable again.


What happened a few weeks later?


Windows asked me again to install the update 1803, which made me very angry. I feared that the problem was back.


But this time, for some reason, it worked!


What happened since then?


I have lived happily with my computer since then.


Some months ago, I realized that Windows did not ask to install the last feature updates (1809 and 1903). The regular small updates are being downloaded and installed without problems.


Two weeks ago, I got a notification from Windows Update: it said that my installed Windows version (1803) was going to lose support soon, and that I needed to update my system.


I decided to give it a try, and downloaded the installer for the feature update 1903. But it failed again, freezing in the same step where the previous updates failed.


And since then, the problems have come back. My computer is stuck again in the cycle of trying to update > failing > restoring the system > downloading again > trying to update > etc.


What do I want?


I want to find a permanent solution for this problem, while keeping my Windows updated and supported, without having to make a clean installation every few months.


Any solution will be welcome.


Has anything changed since the previous round?

Just one thing. I changed my HDD for an SSD, so each cycle is faster. Each update attempt is only ~1.5 hours long, the system restores in one minute, and it doesn't lag when it downloads the update.


Some additional information


These are the post where I asked for help in the past in other forums, including the suggested solutions:


https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Operating-System-and-Recovery/Windows-10-unable-to-install-update-1803/m-p/6743913


https://old.reddit.com/r/techsupport/comments/8zlocg/windows_10_unable_to_install_update_1803_or_any/


(I didn't try Microsoft Answers then because I was discouraged after I got the first replies in those sites).


System information


OS Name Microsoft Windows 10 Pro
Version 10.0.17134 Build 17134
Other OS Description Not Available
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
System Name DESKTOP-CA6SPE0
System Manufacturer Hewlett-Packard
System Model HP ProBook 470 G0
System Type x64-based PC
System SKU H0V85EA#ABE
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3230M CPU @ 2.60GHz, 2601 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)
BIOS Version/Date Hewlett-Packard 68IRF Ver. F.70, 11/04/2019
SMBIOS Version 2.7
Embedded Controller Version 144.15
BIOS Mode Legacy
BaseBoard Manufacturer Hewlett-Packard
BaseBoard Model Not Available
BaseBoard Name Base Board
Platform Role Mobile
Secure Boot State Unsupported
PCR7 Configuration Binding Not Possible
Windows Directory C:\WINDOWS
System Directory C:\WINDOWS\system32
Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume1
Locale United Kingdom
Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "10.0.17134.1006"
Username DESKTOP-CA6SPE0\alexl
Time Zone Romance Summer Time
Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 8.00 GB
Total Physical Memory 7.85 GB
Available Physical Memory 3.84 GB
Total Virtual Memory 15.9 GB
Available Virtual Memory 11.2 GB
Page File Space 8.00 GB
Page File C:\pagefile.sys
Kernel DMA Protection Off
Virtualisation-based security Not enabled
Device Encryption Support Reasons for failed automatic device encryption: TPM is not usable, PCR7 binding is not supported, Hardware Security Test Interface failed and the device is not InstantGo, Un-allowed DMA-capable bus/device(s) detected, TPM is not usable
Hyper-V - VM Monitor Mode Extensions Yes
Hyper-V - Second Level Address Translation Extensions Yes
Hyper-V - Virtualisation Enabled in Firmware Yes
Hyper-V - Data Execution Protection Yes

:)

 

Windows Feature Update 1903

Hi Sara209

Greetings! I am Vijay, an Independent Advisor. The steps which you have undertaken to block updates won't work for any feature update. Feature updates need to be blocked temporarily by using different steps.

But, I will suggest that you should not try to stop 1903 feature update. Let it happen.

Do let me know if you have any more question or require further help.

 

Feature update 1903, Is it safe to install?

The way to find out if it's safe to install v.1903 - or any feature update - is to consult Microsoft's own website.

On its website, Microsoft has a complete list of known bugs as well as the progress of any fixes. You can review the bugs and decide whether or not they might apply to your computer. Not every bug affects every configuration.

With all due respect to the many helpers here, I prefer to rely on hard information rather than opinions, however well-considered.

Here is
Microsoft's official list for v.1903.

Sometimes it's not so easy to understand Microsoft's technical descriptions. Fortunately, a search of the internet will provide lots of explanation. For example, here is an explanation from

The Windows Club.

My computer is 9 years old. The v.1903 update took 1 hour and 29 minutes from beginning to end.

 

B3 Phenom support

I checked gigabyte's site on my GA-M57 and it didn't say anything about b3 stepping update, but all of the x3 chips are b3 steppings, so just use the x3 support bios if available.