I was thinking about OTC updater, but I wonder if it will keep the cab files I downloaded in it's directory or will it wipe it and replace with older ones.
I'm not to sure, as I haven't used the OTC updater.
I'm sure you've already have the cab files copied elsewhere other than packages directory that's used by WDRT.
A small update regarding my problem - I left the phone alone to itself. I just connected it to the charger and my network, I set it to download and install the updates on it's own and to update itself outside of my usage hours. And surprisingly, it's already at 1703! Dunno why, dunno how, but I'll leave it to itself and check on it tomorrow to see if it finally updated itself.
Interesting, unfortunately we don't have any means of opting out of updates they just get rammed down the phone. Even if they brick the phone... especially now since Microsoft is really not going to be actively vetting code for WM10.
A small update (I don't know why my posts are being deleted all the time) - I managed to get my phone to install a 1703 update, but it went to spinning gears and a sad face again after attempting an update to 1709. I don't want to use WDRT again, because this will ruin all my previouse efforts, but the hard reset doesn't seem to work for some reason...
I have no idea why your posts are being deleted, I look for a response in the quoted posts and all I see is deleted posts o.0. Then I just go back to whatever I was doing lol...
To be honest, it seems 1709 is completely hosed for your phone.
Other than flashing a compatible rom I don't know what else would pull you out of that particular update track / path (sadly it seems the dev for the interop tools has take his site down).
The issue is US roms are a different kettle of fish due to the varying standards amongst the operators - some operators may disable certain features or have roms only supporting certain frequencies etc at radio firmware level etc. Whereas in europe everyone uses GSM so it's easier to find a rom that's compatible.
Did you make a note of the RM number of your phone and whether it's a country variant (unlocked with no splash screen branding).