Windows 10: Windows 10 (november update 1909) no longer starts after Windows Update!

My father's computer stopped starting after an update.


I was totally unable to repair it using standard methods, nor DISM or SFC.


So I tried reinstalling it... First over the existing system, then wiped the drive.


The system worked both times until the Windows Update ran, and the first reboot after that fails again in the same manner!


I downloaded the November 1909 version of Windows, installed it, booted fine, set up the account, etc. rebooted, and it still worked.

After that Windows Update ran and installed 4 updates... IDK exactly which ones at this time, but I do know ONE of them was a new Intel Video Driver (it's a mini-ITX board with onboard CPU and 4GB SO-DIMM and a 500GB SSD... That is literally all there's to the whole system!)


After that the damn system no longer starts... Obviously disabling Automatic Updates is no longer an option, because Microsoft has decided that they've got more to say about our PCs than we do, and my dad (74) is too old to learn something new like Linux or MacOS.

His old laptop - which is also up to date on patches AFAIK - is still working, so it must be something specific to this combination of factors, but I can't figure out what it is, and don't have the time to troubleshoot this for days on end!


The system is less than a year old, so it'd be stupid to go buy yet a new one and - assuming it *does* work - wait until yet something else gets broken, and it too no longer works!


I see the Windows 10 Loading screen, with the rotating circle of dots, it then goes black for a second, and shows a few more of the dots before it freezes, and restarts after a while...


To add insult to injury, it won't even give me the Safe Mode options, as it goes directly in to the repair options, which are totally useless, and even reverting to the original (pre-windows-update) snapshot doesn't help!


Any suggestions what to look for would be appreciated at this point!

:)

 

Windows 10 Update

Well just noticed a pretty large one pop up coming in at 914MB, seems it makes some pretty serous updates.

KB3172985
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3172985

This security update includes improvements and fixes in the functionality of Windows 10 Version 1511 and Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview 4. It also resolves the following vulnerabilities in Windows:

• 3175677 MS16-094: Security update for secure boot: July 12, 2016
• 3174060 MS16-093: Security update for Adobe Flash Player: July 12, 2016
• 3171910 MS16-092: Security update for Windows Kernel: July 12, 2016
• 3170048 MS16-091: Security update for .Net Framework: July 12, 2016
• 3171481 MS16-090: Security update for Kernel Mode Drivers: July 12, 2016
• 3170050 MS16-089: Security update for Windows secure kernel mode: July 12, 2016
• 3170005 MS16-087: Security update for the Microsoft Print Spooler: July 12, 2016
• 3169999 MS16-085: Cumulative security update for Microsoft Edge: July 12, 2016
• 3169991 MS16-084: Cumulative security update for Internet Explorer: July 12, 2016

 

Windows Updates failed to instal

I'm not sure how differant XP media center Edition is but you could clear the history \ cache if these folders are there.

Step 1 Register DLL files.

=================

By trying this step, we can check if the update engines are working properly.



1. Close all instances of Internet Explorer.

2. Click Start and Run, type "Regsvr32 atl.dll" (without quotes) in the Open box and click OK.



Note: There is a space between regsvr32 and atl.dll



3. Similarly, one by one, register the files listed below:



Regsvr32 msxml3.dll

Regsvr32 wuapi.dll

Regsvr32 wuaueng.dll

Regsvr32 wuaueng1.dll

Regsvr32 wups2.dll

Regsvr32 wucltui.dll

Regsvr32 wups.dll

Regsvr32 wuweb.dll

Regsvr32 qmgr.dll

Regsvr32 qmgrprxy.dll

Regsvr32 jscript.dll



Note: If you encounter errors while registering any of these files then skip that file and continue with the next one.



If the issue persists, let's move on to the steps below to verify Windows Update services and temporary folders.



Step 2 Verify the relevant Windows Update services.

=========================================

1. Click Start->Run, type "services.msc" (without quotation marks) in the open box and click OK.

2. Double click the service "Automatic Updates".

3. Click on the Log On tab, please ensure the option "Local System account" is selected and the option "Allow service to interact with desktop" is unchecked.

4. Check if this service has been enabled on the listed Hardware Profile. If not, please click the Enable button to enable it.

5. Click on the tab "General "; make sure the "Startup Type" is "Automatic" or "Manual". Then please click the button "Stop" under "Service Status" to stop the service.

6. Then please click the button "Start" under "Service Status" to start the service.

7. Please repeat the above steps with the other services:



Background Intelligent Transfer Service

Event Log

Remote Procedure Call (RPC)



Note: Event log service is enabled on all of the hardware profiles; this service does not have an option to enable or disable on certain hardware profile.



If it still does not help, let's proceed to step 3.



Step 3 Reload the Update temporary folders.

===================================

One possible cause is that the temporary folder for Windows Update is containing corrupted files. Let's erase all the files there to get the system clean.



1. Click Start, Run, type: cmd and press Enter. Please run the following command in the opened window.



Net stop WuAuServ



2. Click Start, Run, type: %windir% and press Enter.

3. In the opened folder, rename the folder SoftwareDistribution to Sdold.

4. Click Start, Run, type: cmd and press Enter. Please run the following command in the opened window.



Net start WuAuServ



Please test the Windows Update website and let me know the result. If the issue persists, to clarify the issue and provide more accurate troubleshooting steps, please assist me in collecting the following information.

 

Windows 98 and ME no longer updatable...

Quite right, XP is still listed in technet. Win 98 unfortunately isn't. Windows 3.1 and 3.2 are listed though.