Windows 10: Partition table problem with Windows update

I've been trying to upgrade (not a fresh install) a Gateway desktop from Win7 to Win10 for weeks now, but the stumbling block is that SP1 is required, but I don't have it. I've been told that I can upgrade without SP1 using a DVD with the win10 iso (from the media builder tool). However I tried that and it seems that this only works for a fresh install. When I try to do an upgrade it eventually fails for an unknown reason but likely due to SP1 missing. I don't know why microsoft thinks this service pack is so important if the OS is going to get overwritten anyway. Perhaps they wouldn't require SP1 if the knew how extraordinarily difficult it can be to get. After the SP1 update failed many times I ran a separate standalone version of the service pack that I downloaded but this too also failed. I also ran the windows update trouble shooter which said that it fixed some things and that the update should now work. However it fails the same as before (even after clearing the update cache). The error I get is "error 800F0A12". Really ... how informative! I think any other company would get laughed out of business which such an error message, and I couldn't find anywhere that Microsoft even says what this error message means. The consensus from the few threads on this error seem to indicate that it doesn't like something about my partition table. So if this is the case I thought I would include this information here:

1.) 22GB Healthy Recovery Partition
2.) 100 MB Healthy (System, Active, Primary)
3.) Drive C: 909.41GB NTFS Healthy (Boot, Page File, Crash Dump, Primary)
4.) Drive M: 2794.49GB NTFS Healthy (Primary Partition)

Drive C contains the OS. No other operating system has ever been installed.

One poster on this issue suggested that Drive C must be Active.
So I marked it as Active which then rendered the computer unbootable.
I had to go to another computer to create a boot repair disk which automatically fixed the problem (by marking the second partition Active again). I don't know how the repair disk knew to do this or why Drive C shouldn't be active ... but I'm not familiar with the ins and outs of partition tables.

Does anyone have any idea what is wrong with the partition table (if anything).
I only have a month left to take advantage of the win10 upgrade offer, and at this rate I may not be able to make it.

Thanks
~Paul

:)

 

Windows 10 0xc000000f

I think it is clear at this point that Windows 10 changes the partition table as part of *some* updates, that some hardware will destroy the partition table irreparably instead, and Microsoft doesn't care about that small hardware set or it's users.

I have given up on the machine that originally caused my post, and replaced it with one sold with Windows 10 and a support agreement.

 

How to delete the GUID Partition Table (GPT) on a HDD

Greg,

Thanks for the reply... and, your Windows Clean Install Guide is great. I'm actually using it for this build I'm working on.

Yes, I plan to use GPT - but, I want to delete sector 0 on the HDD to get rid of the old MBR partition table and I also want to delete sector 1 on the HDD where the GUID partition table (GPT) is located. I am concerned that the virus may have infected the
partition tables.

I would think that deleting the HDD partitions might clean out the HDD partition table - but, I'm not positive. So, I want to delete both the MBR and the GUID partition tables and I do not know of a Windows DISKPART command that can do that.

I am so paranoid about this virus that I am even re-flashing the UEFI firmware back to factory settings using a switch located on the system-board.

 

Your Windows 7 installation is too corrupted to upgrade to SP1 or Windows 10. Looks like it is time to start with a clean, fresh install...or just stay stuck with a corrupted OS that you can't upgrade.

 

There are a few things that MIGHT help

Info on error code: Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1) installation error: 0x800F0A12

Startup Repair - Run 3 Separate Times

There shouldn't be any need to install Win7 SP1 ... but, your System Reserve size might cause Win10 update issues
A Clean Win10 install makes the System Reserve 500 MB - you have 100 MB - that means the upgrade tries to find space elsewhere on the disk.

I'd like to see your Disk Management.

Step 1: Download this zip file (contains dmDskmgr-vd.mmc)

dmDskmgr-vd.zip
Step 2: Double click dmDskmgr-vd.zip to open the compressed folder
Double click dmDskmgr-vd.mmc to launch the custom Disk Management console

You'll get an output similar to this:




Press Alt+PrtScn to grab a snapshot of just the Disk Management window
Open Paint and Ctrl+V to paste it, then save the image
Attach the image to a new post.
Option 2: Use Disk Management in the x-Menu (right click the Windows logo, select Disk Management)
Select View > Bottom > Disk list
Maximize the window and grab the screen shot.

 

Really good point. I don't think that would keep Windows 7 SP1 from installing, but that will definitely be a Windows 10 upgrade killer.

 

Two separate issues running into each other - the SP1 error seems indicate a corrupted boot, hence Repair three times.

Won't know until pmennen tries it.

I think the next step, after three Repairs should be to grow the SysRsv part and try the Win10 upgrade with a mounted ISO.

 

I should have mentioned that I haven't tried a clean install. I agree that a clean install would be better, but I'm helping my father out with these problems and he doesn't want to reinstall his many applications again. (In which case I think he would be better off sticking with windows 7 ... but it is hard to tell a man what he wants). If a clean install is absolutely necessary, probably he will do it, but first I would like to understand why an upgrade install is not possible.

We haven't yet tried the system repair (3 times) that you suggested, but we will do that if it still looks like this is the correct path to follow. Many thanks for your reply (as well as all the other replies).

Ok thanks. I have attached it to this reply.

 

If it were my computer, this is how I would proceed:

Install Macrium Reflect Free:
Macrium Reflect Free


Use that to make a backup image of the entire Disk 0 (which should contain 3 partitions) to your USB hard drive (Disk 1). Also either make the Macrium Reflect Free rescue disk (USB flash drive or CD/DVD), the program will prompt you to do it, or you can do it later under the menu options - or make Kyhi's Recovery drive on a USB flash drive or CD/DVD:
Windows 10 Recovery Tools - Bootable Rescue Disk - Windows 10 Forums

Install MiniTool Partition Wizard:
Best Free Partition Manager for Windows | MiniTool Partition Free

Use MiniTool Partition Wizard to shrink the C: drive (Windows 7) partition by 100 GB, remove the 100 GB from the front of the partition, not the back of it. Add 400 MB (not GB!) to the system partition making it 500 MB total in size. In the remaining empty space, create a primary, NTFS partition. Don't forget to click the Apply button in MiniTool.

Capture the genuineticket.xml file from Windows 7 by doing the first 6 steps here:
Clean Install Windows 10 Directly without having to Upgrade First - Windows 10 Forums

Continue that tutorial but be sure to install Windows 10 to the new, blank, almost 100GB partition that you created.

After you get Windows 10 running along with Windows 7 - try to figure out if you can fix the Windows 7 and upgrade it. Or figure out if you want to just copy over data files and re-install programs in the clean install of Windows 10. After you decide what you are going to do, you are going to have to delete one of the Windows installations because keeping both of them violates the End Users License Agreement. You would delete one of the Windows installations be using MiniTool Partition Wizard to delete the partition it is installed on and expanding the other Windows partition to fill the empty space.

 

Why would fixing windows 7 be easier after getting windows 10 running in a new partition be any easier than just fixing it now?

In general your suggested plan sounds good, although I'm actually helping him remotely (via teamviewer), so the repartitioning stuff I would have to talk him thru ... which could be somewhat challenging.

It would be a bit more expensive, but it might be easier on me just send him a new computer, and migrate his applications and data over to it for him *Smile

~Paul

 

Hi.
Partitioning should be easy to do via Teamviewer. You would do everything, then reboot for the changes to be made. He wouldn't have to do anything. I've even done upgrade installs via Teamviewer, with no one on the other end.

You could make a Macrium image of his C partition, then clean install W7 without the SP1, get the partitions right that way, then boot to the rescue media and drag the OS image over to the new C partition. All would be as it was, and hopefully the new partitions would take the SP1. You'd need a W7 disk without SP1 to do this. This would require a lot of work on his part though, and therefore not recommended.

Just a thought - since we're getting close to crunch time, you could install a new HDD, clean install W10, use the W7 key to activate, and then pull it out and put the W7 drive back in. That way, you've got the digital entitlement for the system, and can take your time on what needs to be done for the migration. But, running 2 OSs off one key at the same time would violate the EULA.

Personally, I have seen so many carry-over problems with W7 upgrades, I would recommend against it. A clean install of W10 is really the best way to go, IMO.

 

p.s. see this for your error code:
Windows 7/2008 R2 Service Pack 1 fails with 0x800f0a12 | The Windows Servicing Guy

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There isn't any real need to create the 100 GB space. If that was created it would push the OS further on the disk, increasing seek times.
Edit - strike this wrong statement: Additionally, it would be an extended partition with logical drives, not a primary (it would be the 4th part on disk 0 - Recovery, System, Boot, NewPart).

This should be sufficient to resolve the SysRsv issue:
Use MiniTool Partition Wizard to shrink the C: drive (labeled Gateway Windows 7) partition by 100 GB 400 MB, remove the 100 GB 400 MB from the front of the partition, not the back of it. Add 400 MB (not GB!) to the system partition making it 500 MB total in size. In the remaining empty space, create a primary, NTFS partition. Don't forget to click the Apply button in MiniTool.
Anyway, just curious why you suggest creating that partition, and more to the point, why in front of the Boot (Gateway C partition.

 

I suggested creating an empty partition between the system partition and the C: drive partition so that free space could be added to the system partition. If you create the free space at the end of the disk, it can't be added to the system partition because the free space must be adjacent to the partition it is intended to be added to.

My goal for the separate Windows 10 installation would be #1 to prove that Windows 10 could actually be installed on the computer and #2 to allow the user to have a transition period. Actually, the dual boot transition period would even remain compliant with the EULA so long as the Windows 10 was not activated. It could be installed and remain unactivated as long as the user desired, and then when everything was finalized, it could be activated by either manually entering the Windows 7 product key or copying the genuineticket.xml file to the proper folder in Windows 10.

After everything was sorted out - Windows 10 was proven to run on the computer (more to the user than anyone else), the user either transitioned everything to the Windows 10, or they fixed the Windows 7, or they just decided to stick with the Windows 7 as is, then it is a very simple matter to delete the undesired OS.

The dual boot arrangement would only be temporary. After the decision was made to keep one Windows installation only, the disk could easily be restored to a single OS partition.

Can you explain, please, why there cannot be 4 primary partitions on an MBR disk? Four primary partitions are the maximum allowed on MBR disks.

 

Thanks for the explanation Navy.

I can always count on you to keep me honest.

There is no issue with 4 Primary parts - I misspoke. I struck the erroneous statement in my previous post.

Bill
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