Windows 10: MS explains disappearance of the Win 10 Nov. Update from Media tool

The ISO files for version 1511 are still available for MSDN subscribers.
Source
Microsoft yanks latest Windows 10 release from its download server | ZDNet

 

I believe you can .. after reinstall ..run update again ..
AS the matter of fact , I just did ..
After upgraded my 2 sony laptop to wds 10 and ran update .. they became so sluggish ..
Lucky that I've already made MCT , so I did a fresh reinstall wds for both ... so fast and trouble free now ..

 

Hello everyone. Just joined, but have been lurking for a while! I so totally don't understand what MS is doing. I was lucky that I downloaded TH2 last week and was able to do a CLEAN install. I had long put off installing 10240 because I didn't want to install over my existing 8.1 and to get a "fresh" upgrade on a new HDD would have been a long and arduous task.

The machine originally came with Win7 Home Premium, which I upgraded to 8.0 PRO via a retail purchase of an 8.0 Pro upgrade disk, then to 8.1 pro via Windows update, so essentially to "fresh" install Win 10 (10240) on a new HDD would have meant reinstalling the original Win7 Home and all it's myriad updates, then upgrade to Win 8.0 Pro and all it's updates, then 8.1 Pro via WU, then Win10 (10240) and FINALLY Win 10 TH2 via WU. This whole process would have taken hours if not days and would have required MANY, MANY hours of downloads.

As it was last week once I discovered you could use tools provided on the 1511 ISO download to generate the GenuineTicket.xml file from my original Win8.1 Pro Install to activate a new install, I swapped drives out and was able to LOAD fresh Win 10 1511 PRO. Whole process took only 45 minutes for the ISO download and 1 hour for the install, including swapping the drives!! I can't believe MS has foreclosed on the possibility of others doing this!

 

I hope Microsoft gets this big mess straightened out soon. All my PCs are already running 1511 with no apparent problems. But a friend will be bringing his Windows 8.1 laptop in about a month for me to upgrade. I'm hoping the 1511 ISO I downloaded last week will work for an up-to-date and activated in-place upgrade since I don't want to have to upgrade to 10240 and then go through it all again to get 1511.

 

If you have a 1511 .iso file you are good to go.

 

*Ditto They didn't disable using the ISO's, they just made them hard to get. They are still available on MSDN, those with subscriptions can still download and use them.

 

That has been mentioned in this thread several times.

 

Just makes Windows 10 in-place repair installs more time consuming....

 

The really bad part: because of the way Microsoft now insists of upgrading to new builds every 3 to 5 months, we're going to go through this every 3 to 5 months from now until eternity. These issues will never be straightened out so long as Microsoft insists on in-place upgrades.

Even if Microsoft made a nearly perfect build, the problem is that you have to perform an upgrade from your current build to get it. Unless you can do a clean install every 3 to 5 months (which most people find too inconvenient), you are going to have problems. The in-place upgrade process guarantees that.

 

Absolutely correct! I find their entire process and recent decisions to be unbelievably short-sighted (to say the least). This way of doing things just won't work for many many people. Come on, MS.... this is insane!

 

The next version upgrade (to version 1607 as it now stands) will be eight months from now, not three. And the upgrades to the general public aren't based on new builds, they are to new versions. New builds are released to insiders on the fast ring every few weeks, but not to the general public.

 

According to Microsoft, there will be at least two upgrades per year and preferably three or four.

Upgrades to the general public are literally new builds, just like the Insider builds are. Not sure what you're getting at. The only difference is that Insiders test new builds before they get to the general public.

 

The really bad part: because of the way Microsoft now insists of upgrading to new builds every 3 to 5 months,

is simply not accurate. New builds are released to the insider rings (every few weeks) but not to the public. The public gets new versions. Only one version upgrade has been released to the public to date (1511) and only one is being discussed for next year.

 

Because upgrades via Windows Update (as they are doing it) are highly problematic for many, even one a year is too many. They have changed their entire process and IMO, it isn't going to work for them, or for the users.

 

Exactly! A normal user wouldn't b aware that he could get the iso from msdn. Consider this scenario. When the iso was available, the user could do a clean install if there were problems during the in place upgrade. However now, he will have to install 10240 AGAIN and do an in place upgrade which would AGAIN be problematic!