Still stuck on 10166

[gwinegarden]

Well, I have two issues. I am (was?) an insider and got up to 10240, but it never activated. I waited until this past Tuesday and then had a less than brilliant idea. I rolled back to 10166 so that I could re-update to 10240. Stupid! Now I'm stuck on 10166 and no updates appear. Been trying for 3 days. Plus, 10166 is crap, apps crashing all over the place, and, of course, it is not activated.

I've tried virtually everything I have found on the Web and nothing. MS support is so backed up that the wait is in hours.

Fortunately, this is an old test laptop, but, right now, it's just a boat anchor. I've got 3 more laptops, a desktop and two tablets to upgrade. Not looking forward to it.

 

[ven07]

Download the iso WC has a few articles on this

 

[gwinegarden]

Download the iso WC has a few articles on this

If you do, you need a key.

 

[ven07]

If you do, you need a key.

Go for the internal reset then Settings > update & sec > recovery > reset

 

[gwinegarden]

Go for the internal reset then Settings > update & sec > recovery > reset

I thought about this, but it was not very clear what will happen. I'll try it, thanks.

 

[ven07]

I thought about this, but it was not very clear what will happen. I'll try it, thanks.

I've been scouring the tweets on Gabe Aul's twitter acc and from what I can understand, nothing will happen. The OS will simply be installed again. From what I've read you won't need an activation key, but this is not from my own personal experience, so I can't vouch for the info.

 

[a5cent]

Please see this for more info:

http://forums.windowscentral.com/wi...s-10-activation-upgrade-installation-faq.html

 

[gwinegarden]

I've been scouring the tweets on Gabe Aul's twitter acc and from what I can understand, nothing will happen. The OS will simply be installed again. From what I've read you won't need an activation key, but this is not from my own personal experience, so I can't vouch for the info.

Well, what I, now, appear to have is a clean install of 10166 with many apps removed (which is OK).

It still is not activated and does not see the 10240 update, but I will wait until tomorrow to see what happens..

 

[gwinegarden]

Please see this for more info:

http://forums.windowscentral.com/wi...s-10-activation-upgrade-installation-faq.html

If I get a free hour, I will.

 

[Narse77]

Having the same issue on my wife's laptop and we are still insiders. Can't figure out why it will not see the upgrade.

 

[a5cent]

If I get a free hour, I will.

Reading it can potentially save you hours of wasted time! Besides, reading the first post should take you no more than 3 minutes.

 

[gwinegarden]

Reading it can potentially save you hours of wasted time! Besides, reading the first post should take you no more than 3 minutes.

As indicated, above, I did 1 b and updated all the way to 10240 from a valid 8.1, but. as it did not activate over several days, I tried going back to 10166.

I than tried your second point, again, today.

I downloaded W10, from Microsoft, and attempted to install. Contrary to your post, it will NOT let me bypass inputting the key. The only options, available, are to first activate (!!!) or exit. The other buttons are grayed out, presumably, until I enter a key. If I try a dummy key, i.e. my 8.1 key, it just rejects it but the keys stay grayed out.

 

[a5cent]

As indicated, above, I did 1 b and updated all the way to 10240 from a valid 8.1, but. as it did not activate over several days, I tried going back to 10166.

I than tried your second point, again, today.

I downloaded W10, from Microsoft, and attempted to install. Contrary to your post, it will NOT let me bypass inputting the key. The only options, available, are to first activate (!!!) or exit. The other buttons are grayed out, presumably, until I enter a key. If I try a dummy key, i.e. my 8.1 key, it just rejects it but the keys stay grayed out.

If it's sometimes not possible to skip the prompt to enter the W10 key during the clean-install process, I've not yet heard anyone else report that. MS UK also states skipping is possible. I don't know what the inability to do so could mean. Sorry. I'd probably call MS support. The W8.1 key obviously won't be accepted as a key to install W10 though.

I don't really understand the rest of your post because you're not clear about what "going back to 10166" (revert from backup image, clean-install) or what "attempted to install" (clean-install, in-place upgrade from W7 or W8) means.

If you clean-installed 10166 insider preview than nothing you do from then on out, with the exception of purchasing a new W10 license, has any chance of ever activating. Lastly, clean-installing 10166 is pretty much senseless now. You either install W10 RTM (if you have a W10 license) or W7.1/W8.x (to create a W10 license with the in-place upgrade). Since I don't work for MS I can't guarantee that this will work for you, but that has worked for everyone else who has done it correctly.

 

[gwinegarden]

As I indicated, I "rolled back" to 10166, i.e. I went to Recovery and told it to go to the previous version. That gave my 10166 but it was bad (apps crashing). I then went to Recovery and did a reset. That gave me a working 10166. When I go to activate, it says I have a key and under Your Product Key, displays a partial key as "xxxxx-7XM87". But, if I hit the Activate key it says try later.

Tried activating via phone. Gave it the horrendous number, no luck. Guy came on and told me I had to reinstall (and so the loop continues).

I have been trying to technical contact support for three days but I cannot wait around here for hours to get a call.

 

[a5cent]

When I go to activate, it says I have a key and under Your Product Key, displays a partial key as "xxxxx-7XM87". But, if I hit the Activate key it says try later.

Typing the end of that key into the search engine results in many hits. Many people who were on the insider program seem to have a key ending with that sequence, which suggests that's just a meaningless generic key. Your upgrade process is too convoluted for me to really say what state your installation should be in. Either way, I'm sceptical that your installation has any knowledge of your original W8 key at all.

If I were you I'd stop trying to fix stuff and just clean-install W8 with your W8 key, reserve W10, and once W10 is downloaded, do an in-place upgrade. Done.

I'll leave it at that.

 

[gwinegarden]

I would have reinstalled W8 a long rime ago, but, as with the majority of people I don't have the media as it was OEM. I really don't understand why manufacturers are too cheap to include a 50 cent CD with the OS.

I've got another call in to MS, wait time 190 minutes.

 

[a5cent]

I would have reinstalled W8 a long rime ago, but, as with the majority of people I don't have the media as it was OEM. I really don't understand why manufacturers are too cheap to include a 50 cent CD with the OS.

I've got another call in to MS, wait time 190 minutes.

Very true.

If you take another look at the FAQ I linked to earlier however, you'll find links to official reinstallation media from MS for W7.1, W8.x and W10. That's probably what you are looking for.

190 minutes wait time... *speachless*

 

[gwinegarden]

Thanks!

 

[a5cent]

Thanks!

Don't forget to login to your MS account after installing W8! Good luck!

 

[gwinegarden]

So, MS, finally called, after 6 hours. I think the rep is insane but this is what she told me:
1. no versions of the insider builds can be activated (she was fuzzy about 10240)
2. no versions of the insider builds will receive updates (as above for 10240)
Told me to go back to the beginning and then update to 10.

So, if what she says is true, anyone who is not on 10240 is screwed unless they fall back to their original OS and then upgrade.

Again, I find this difficult to believe but........