Windows 10: Windows 10 to "anniversary" update FAILS... no message... no clue

I decided to go for it. I applied 1511, Threshold 2 (April 2016) using the ISO file. It worked! It updated/upgraded with no problem.

I'm going to take a break on this for a while. Let Windows 10 do whatever further updates it wishes... then try to do 1607 later. But at least I'm off that super old 10240 RTM. I don't know if my re-install of 10240 paved the way... but it does look like Threshold 2 ISO is the way to go.

 

Note there is a serious bug in the AU not yet fixed which can cause drives to disappear or have a RAW data format which could cause data loss. I've deferred updating to the AU on my desktop PC until this is fixed. You can only defer updates in Windows 10 Pro. You might be better off deferring the AU upgrade (if you have the Pro version) unless you have a serious fondness for fixing Windows problems.

 

Wow... that is absolutely nasty. Never heard of a Microsoft release having that level of severe data risk. Thanks a lot for the heads up. I have absolutely no fondness for being a guinea pig for Microsoft... did enough of that over the last few weeks (I'm still beside myself on how treacherous this whole thing was). I'm going to stay on 1511 until I absolutely need to update. *Nerd

 

That actually had a short life, come out end of July 2015 and we had a new Version 1511 in November 2015. The latest, a year later, is Version 1607 or Anniversary Update, announced for end of July 2016 and released Aug. 2nd.

 

Yes indeed. I had delayed upgrading. Finally the "free offer ending" prodded me. So I tried using the automatic upgrade in May with one of my computers and it failed miserably. I left it alone, but then started trying again in June/July. It took me days to finally realize that the ISO route would be the sure way... and it was. Then... after 30 days, Windows prompted me for the anniversary update (1607) which I accepted... and it failed miserably.

There were several releases of Windows 10 prior to 1607. I used the last ISO created for 1511, dated April 2016.

So... getting back to the original topic. Is it solved? Well, "yes"... in that I was able to update to 1511, the build just prior to the anniversary release. I am going to give it a month before trying again to install1607.

 

NOTE
Finally Microsoft fixed this problem, after analyzing all of the installation bug reports. This constant failure of being able to upgrade to 1607 appears to be no more... at least for my machine. Microsoft pushed this as a silent update. I expected the update requiring a reboot to be a routine one, but it ballooned into a nearly hour long update affair. I'm VERY lucky this did not happen during business hours, or I would have been SCREWED! I wish Microsoft would be more thoughtful about these updates and let you know HOW LONG they are going to take.

So, I rebooted and then ended up in this long update... didn't know why it was going to take so long. But when I rebooted again, I was greeted as if I'd just updated to Windows 10 for the first time. BIZARRE!

Anyway, not complaining... winver shows that I'm now on 1607. So thank you, Microsoft... but please, give us more advanced users some leeway to know more about what's going on. It is disconcerting to be left in the dark like this.

 

Make sure you set 'Active Hours' to your needs so it doesn't interrupt you at work.