Windows 10: • Feature update to Windows 10, version 1607. Problems

Are you doing the upgrade from a .iso? That's an install disk, you could burn it to a DVD and boot from that.

Or you could use the Media Creation Tool to make bootable USB install media.

Or you could make a Recovery Drive on a sufficiently large USB, then mount the .iso and copy the files from it to the recovery USB. Boot to a command prompt and run Setup.

 

I'm trying to update from a 4.42GB .iso file. I guess I don't have a burner program so I will go online to find a free one. The Media Creation Tool just wants to run the update when I double click on it. And double clicking on the .iso file causes the program to ask what app I want to use to open it.

 

In Windows 10 you do, it's File Explorer. Right-click on .iso and pick 'burn disc image'.

See option one - at step 8. choose 'USB flash drive'.
https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/...d.html#option1

The app to choose is 'Windows Explorer', if you don't see it in the list click the 'find an app on this PC' and pick C:\Windows\explorer.exe, this will mount the .iso as a virtual DVD drive.

 

Right-clicking on the .iso file does not give burn disc image as an option.

 

Well, anyway, what you suggest is a good idea. I will work on it, although it might take a lot of time.Thanks for weighing in.

 

Ok, I figured out how to make a bootable installation disk from the Windows.iso. I rebooted with the dvd install disk and tried to do a clean install. I got the error: Windows cannot be installed to this disk. The selected disk has an MBR partition table. On EFI systems, Windows can only be installed to GPT disks.

I have no idea what this means. Since I already have Win 10 installed, this makes no sense to me. Does it help my cause?

 

I'm going to let someone else answer the EFI question - but just to check - do you have a backup of the system in its current state? As a clean install deletes everything I'd always want to have a backup in case I needed to roll back. Also you'll have to reinstall any software and copy data back from your backup.

This doesn't apply if you've disconnected the disk and are using a spare Hard disk as suggested, although it never does any harm to have a good backup.

 

Thank you. Yes, I just backed up my system today with Paragon, and Acronis.

 

Extremely simplified explanation:

It means that your computer has the older legacy BIOS (Basic Input / Output System) instead of newer UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface). BIOS mostly uses so called MBR (Master Boot Record) disk partitioning system, whereas UEFI uses GPT partitioning (GUID partition Table).

BIOS or UEFI are the first ones to start working when you boot a computer. They run POST (Power On Self Test) to check that all hardware components work before telling Windows (or any other operating system) that the computer is now ready to start OS.

As both MBR and GPT handle boot records and partitions differently, boot media (disk or device PC is booted from) must be compatible with both systems or at least with the system of the computer the boot media will be used. Apparently you have created a boot media that is only UEFI / GPT compatible and therefore cannot be used to boot a BIOS / MBR machine.

Please redo your Windows install media as told in this tutorial: USB Flash Drive - Create to Install Windows 10

Options One and Two in the above mentioned tutorial will make a boot media compatible with both BIOS / MBR and UEFI / GPT systems. I recommend you to select Option Three, it's the easiest one. It only makes a BIOS / MBR boot device but that's exactly what you need.

 

Thanks very much. I'm working on it now.

 

BTW, while the disk is burning, Will this DVD support installation to a HDD in a USB enclosure? If it will do that, it would save me removing my HDD from this computer. It's a 27" monitor with the computer and all components behind the screen.

 

By the way, something important I have not seen mentioned in this thread: Windows product key, license and activation.

I assume you are first testing a clean install on a secondary hard disk, not the one where you have the problem Windows 10 build 10240 installed. If this is the case, you don't have to enter a product key when installing. When the key is asked just select I don't have a product key:




(Screenshot from tutorial Windows 10 - Clean Install)
Testing Windows does not require activation. If you later on decided to do a clean install replacing your current build 10240, be sure you have the product key available before starting.