Windows 10: latest Win10 boot medium wont boot

The USB is detected and selected in the boot priority, but the monitor merely shows a flashing dash, with no progress to the display of the windows icon. UNlike a USB boot stick I made months ago with version 1607, the unbootable boot stick was made only yesterday - the whole 7 hour process seemed to go without a hitch. But alas it appears to be useless. Both boot sticks were made on this same PC, and have been tried in quick succession, the latest failing and the earlier succeeding. What could have gone wrong yesterday ?

:)

 

Windows Phone 8.1 update on Nokia Lumia 925 error 80188309

Same problem.

With Lumia 1520 (Dutch phone with os v. 8.0.10532.166).

First downloading, than preparation (where 96% takes a bit looonger)

Than it starts installing, at 2% is suddenly gives the famous error..

 

Windows 10 Product Key Blocked

I had the same thing.

I did the Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 upgrade and activated Windows 10 successfully. I then downloaded the media creation kit, created a bootable USB and did a fresh installation of Windows 10. This second installation would not activate and told me the key
had been blocked.

I spent about two hours on the phone to Microsoft who failed to get it activated. It's been escalated to their tier III support and I'm getting a call back this evening. I'll come back here and report how I got on.

 

The failing one must have some sort of corruption. How did you create it (details please)?

 

I followed the instructions on Download Windows 10

 

That procedure has worked countless times and is not flawed; however, you may have encountered some corruption during the process and/or you USB stick is going south. Not sure what else to say other than try again, with a different USB stick, and good luck.

 

If there is a chance of creating another boot stick from the same already downloaded files, I would obviously prefer to do that. Any idea if that is possible and HOW I would go about that ?

 

7 hours is way too long to create a Windows 10 USB flash drive, so I would say the problem probably is the physical USB flash drive itself. Here is the most reliable way to create a Windows 10 flash drive. Download the ISO file and save it to the hard drive. If you have an external location like a network drive or second, NTFS formatted USB flash drive that is even better because then you will have it for later use.

Windows 10 ISO Download - Windows 10 Installation Upgrade Tutorials

Make sure to select the option for the ISO file and not USB flash drive. Once you have the ISO file downloaded, insert your USB flash drive, and open a Command Prompt (Admin). Press Win+X to get the list of programs that has Command Prompt (Admin) available. In the Command Prompt (Admin) window, run the following commands:

diskpart
list disk
select disk # <replace # with the disk number of the USB flash drive identified by list disk
clean <this will erase everything on the selected drive. Make sure you have the correct disk # selected above!
create part pri
select part 1
format fs=fat32 quick
active
exit
exit


Then mount the ISO file you have saved. Windows 8 and 10 will mount it just by right clicking on the ISO file and select mount. Windows 7 needs an external program like WinCDEmu to mount it:
WinCDEmu - the easiest way to mount an ISO. And more...

Copy all the files and folders from the new drive letter that appears when you mount the ISO file to the USB flash drive.

 

I'm quite non-plussed about 'mounting'. My idea is to end up with a bootable USB stick that can install Win10 in another PC.

You reply suggests I have to start from scratch - and NOT use the already downloaded files I have.

 

The instructions that I provided is the most historically proven reliable means to create a bootable flash drive that will boot in both UEFI and legacy BIOS computers. Why do you hesitate to mount an ISO file? When you are done, you can either right click on the drive letter created by the mounted ISO file and select eject and it will go away, or it will just go away when you reboot your computer next time. All mounting the ISO file does is give you access to the image that is stored within the ISO file. It's like double clicking on a zip file to see the contents of it in explorer.

The advantage to saving the ISO file is that you don't have to download anything again if something happens that your USB flash drive fails - which is the current situation that you are in now.

 

I hesitate because I do not grasp the concept of mounting - I've often heard the term used, but its like a blind spot for me.

As for 7 hours being too long - does not that depend on the quality of the internet ? The actual (mis)creation of the bootstick was within 1 hour.

 

You can try this:
ESD to ISO - Create Bootable ISO from Windows 10 ESD File - Windows 10 Installation Upgrade Tutorials

but you are still going to end up with an ISO file you have to mount.

 

I checked the ESD folder - it was empty - so I deleted it

 

You said that you have created a version 1607 Windows 10 USB flash drive previously - that's still the current version that the Media Creation Tool will download (except for possibly 1 cumulative update which isn't the most current cumulative update anyway).

If you want to copy the current flash drive, use the Command Prompt (Admin) commands I provided to prepare the new flash drive to be bootable. Then copy the files and folders from the old flash drive to the new flash drive instead of downloading and mounting an ISO file.

 

I do NOT want to copy it. I KNOW that v1703 either IS available or will be soon. I was hoping to install the bootstick and see what version the latest download was.