November update killed my computer, what can I do?

[Kimberly Bennett2]

November update killed my computer

Not really sure if there is even help for this problem. I just know I do NOT want to go through this again so any suggestions will be welcome.
Here is my situation: I have been running Windows 10 since the first stable build without issue. Yesterday the automatic update completed and my problems began.
The first noticed issue was a message pop-up that my HP printer needed to have the software reinstalled. It downloaded fine but the UAC popup did not even have the option to click yes or no to allow changes to my computer. I did some research that indicated it may be a problem with administrator privileges somehow being lost after this update, so that leads to problem 2.
I opened the control panel to check my account and the control panel was just a white screen, nothing populated in the menu. There was also a published workaround for this by using command prompt. So I tried that and got a "file not found" error, so just to test this I tried to run msconfig from the command prompt and also got the file not found error... so I already can't install any programs thanks to UAC, the control panel can't be accessed and command prompt doesn't work.
Next step is trying system restore to roll back, and now I have no restore points. Just a message that no restore points have been created for this computer, so that is no longer an option either.
Next desperate measure was "rolling back" to the previous build, which shocker...didn't work. An "error occurred and no changes were made to your computer."
So simple next step, just restart the computer [again] to refresh everything and this time it only loads to a black screen. After messing around with several manual restarts with the same result I finally called Microsoft tech support and what a joke! After over an hour on the phone with no fix the agent offered to transfer me to a technician who was "guaranteed" to fix my issue for a small fee of $239.98! Are you kidding me!! Microsoft's update killed my computer and now they want $240.00 to fix it! Needless to say I not so politely declined the offer and hung up.
After several attempts I was finally able to boot to the recovery screen, where every option resulted in failure. Not even my most recent system image would load. I finally gave up and just did a complete factory restore.
So now I am back on Windows 8.1 and need to repopulate my computer from my online backup files, which is a great big pain in the rear. At least I back up religiously so the files are there to recover.
During the restore process I got the option to download Windows 10 again and I did click ok, but with the option to install at a later time. I hope the darn thing doesn't just install itself during windows update. I am needless to say terrified and this point and am really wondering if it is even worth reinstalling Windows 10 at all.
If I do decide to reinstall can I easily turn off automatic updates so I can at least wait until an update is a bit more stable before I run it? This has been a nightmare experience.

 

[rhapdog]

Re: November update killed my computer

It sounds to me like there was an error during download and you didn't get all the files to properly update Windows 10.

Honestly, to prevent that same problem from happening again, I'd use the Media Creation Tool at Windows 10 to install it from. Scroll toward the bottom and select "Download Tool Now".

Run the tool, and you will get the option to save the Windows 10 Upgrade to an ISO file. Save the ISO file to your desktop, and when complete, double click it to mount it. Once mounted, browse to the contents of the ISO and run Setup.

By doing the update this way, you will get the same exact files, but you'll be guaranteed to have valid files as the media creation tool will validate them to make sure they are okay before continuing. In the case of Windows Update, an error can cause an early abort and you can end up with a half-installed Windows 10, which sounds like what happened to you.

I hope this helps. It's what I did in order to prevent issues with the upgrade and it worked like a charm.

Best of luck, and welcome to the forums. Let us know if you need further help with this.

 

[Kimberly Bennett2]

Re: November update killed my computer

I was already running a stable version of Windows 10.and have been for several months. The problems only occurred after this latest automatic update ran. Obviously there were issues with that update and I don't really know if I want to continue to trust Microsoft with downloading and installing updates without my approval. What happens if this update runs and fails again if I decide to reinstall Windows 10? Is Microsoft really able to ensure compatibility with any 3rd party drivers I might have? I know that there have been major issues with nvidia drivers and my graphics card is of course nvidia. I am just afraid of going through this whole mess again.
Of course the compatibility issues might not be such a concern if I reinstall now as I essentially have a "new" computer again since I did a factory reset. The only thing I have changed at all so far is downloading and installing my antivirus [Norton 360]. Do you suggest I run the Windows 10 upgrade before installing anything else? I can live without Office and other programs I have installed for awhile if it makes for a more stable environment for the upgrade. From what I read on the upgrade/clean install options I pretty much have to do the upgrade my existing PC option to avoid buying a whole new product key if I opted for the clean install.
One more question...I do still have a pretty recent system image saved on an external hard drive. Is it possible to short cut the restoration process by loading that system image after upgrading again from 8.1 to 10 or is this a bad idea since I don't know for sure if any files in that system image might be corrupt? Am I better off just deleting that system image file and creating a new one after the upgrade? Last question, should I create another system image right away after the upgrade or wait until I have the programs I consider as must haves installed?
Sorry for all the questions but I am looking at several days of work to restore everything the way I had it and the thought of going through that jut to have it happen again right away is rather daunting.
Thanks for the suggestion of saving the install as an ISO. Who knows, maybe there has been an underlying issue since the beginning. Initially I upgraded to 10 from the prompt that appeared in my system tray when Windows 10 was ready to install.

 

[rhapdog]

Re: November update killed my computer

I can't answer questions about all your doubts. If the update fails again, then I'd be puzzled as to why.

Can Microsoft assure compatibility with 3rd party drivers? Well, it's the 3rd party's responsibility to assure compatibility with Microsoft, as it is the 3rd party's product.

Nvidia drivers that were finally updated to work before this update "should" work after the update. I'll not make a guarantee, though, since I am neither Microsoft nor Nvidia.

If it were me, and I'd already reset the system, and the only thing I have done is install the antivirus, I'd probably just do a clean install of the new Windows 10 ISO and wipe out what is there, and reinstall the antivirus afterward. This will give you the cleanest upgrade path, and it's not going to take much difference in time for the upgrade that way. I'm not saying that's what you should do, only it is what I would probably do. Then again, I'm known for re-installing my OSes from scratch regularly.

You should not need a new product key. With this update to Windows 10, it is now supposed to be able to use your previous OS product key for the activation. It is one of the changes that was made. You may want to read about that on the Microsoft Website before you do so, however.

I would recommend making 2 system images if you have the spare resources to do so. It's what I do. I make one system image with a "clean install" with no programs or apps added to the system yet, and no configuration changes. Then, once I get everything installed and set up to my liking, I make a new system image. I keep the "clean install" system image long enough to know that I did the second image right, then just hold on to the second image long term.

Yes, what you are going through is a real pain. That I acknowledge. Hopefully, Microsoft will have this down soon to where it won't be such an issue with future updates. I believe as they get further along with the system polish, it will be a lot easier for the update process.

 

[Kimberly Bennett2]

Re: November update killed my computer

Thank you for the idea of running two system images. Yes, I have plenty of room for this on an external drive and I hadn't considered that. I did bite the bullet and upgraded to 10 again yesterday, I forgot how much I disliked 8.1 until I used it again. Glad to report I followed your advice before I read it and did a clean install. Figured I may as well since I did a factory reset and was essentially starting with a clean slate anyway.
So far, so good. I will take your suggestion and make a system image now before I start the long process of restoring my files from back-up. This is essentially a press a button and let it run process from my online backup. Easy enough, just time consuming.
I will look at the bright side here, after 2 years of accumulated junk and programs I thought at the time I needed and turns out I really don't use it's not a bad idea to purge the system and start from scratch.

 

[cory gann]

Re: November update killed my computer

The November upgrade has wiped away everything from the computer. The start menu and the windows store apps are missing. We tried refresh but it didn't work. Tried looking for system restore. Please help.

 

[NoICon]

Re: November update killed my computer

Same exact problem here. In fact, the original Windows 10 update killed my desktop. I had to take it into Best Buy to get it fixed then. Now the November update has boinked me again. I really don't want to incur any more cost at this point. Very frustrating. I like the direction of Windows 10, but I've had update problems with just about all of my PC's. I wish Mr. Nadella had to perform his own Windows updates...