Anniversary Update fails without reason, will stick to the old version

tfwul · 07 Sep 2016

Used the Windows Media Creation tool for the Anniversary Update
All went well, but in the end a simple "Windows 10 installation has failed"
No reason, I just returned to my 10586.545 desktop.

Frankly as I expect such things to happen, I always create a Windows image right before
starting such 'bigger' upgrades.
Restored the image so to make sure there is nothing left there from the failed 1607 upgrade
there that might cause conflicts.

Maybe, one day, MS has a fix, or I may try to do a fresh install, some time in future.

But right now, 10586.545 is running fine.
Personally I don't have the time (read: interest) to start off spending hours on trying to
find possible solutions / workarounds.

Later...
if you don't need the 'new features', like:
Sync your phone notifications to your PC
New Skype app
Bash in Windows
Windows 10 apps on Xbox One
Windows Hello for apps and websites
Dark theme and UI tweaks
Cortana improvements
Microsoft Edge extensions
Windows Ink

and if 10586.545 is running fine, well, maybe one should consider the motto:
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it..."

=

Anniversary Update fails without reason, will stick to the old version-windows-10-1607-upgrade-issue-07092016-123545.png

=

dalchina · 07 Sep 2016

Good thinking.. and MS is still to issue some fixes for problems plaguing people. If you have Pro - just defer upgrades. Sadly there are numerous update failure reports.

There is a log, of course.. or supposed to be.. but in a similar situation someone couldn't find any current info. Hmm.

tfwul · 18 Sep 2016

Windows 10 x64 as a virtual machine (VMware Workstation) - does upgrade ...
So, the VM version is upgraded, whilst the host is still 10586.545 and doesn't upgrade
(check for updates says Windows is up to date)

Funny... apparently something is holding back the update/upgrade.

Note: Settings at 'Choose how updates are installed" - Automatic (Recommended)

=

dalchina · 18 Sep 2016

You can try looking for log files for your original failed attempt..
Windows Setup Log Files and Event Logs

Not everyone has been offered the anniversary upgrade yet, it seems.. still being phased.. at least that's the assumption. Meanwhile there have been some smaller updates since, and one of several hundred Mb a few days ago.

Presumably you haven't chosen to defer the upgrade (if you have Pro e.g.)

altae · 18 Sep 2016

My guess is that some software or driver installed on your pc is blocking the upgrade. Too bad the error message does not state what exactly has caused the upgrade to fail. Is there any exotic hardware installed?

Sometimes customization and/ or tweak tools can also cause trouble with upgrades. Do you use any kind of tweak tools? Or did you move your personal files? I had a problem once upgrading from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1 because I had moved my personal files from C to another hard disk.

cytherian · 19 Sep 2016

Strange, that failure message dialog. I wouldn't get that. The screen would refresh and then just tell me "Restoring previous version of Windows...". I'd get the error message after logging in subsequently, with a dialog displaying the error code. Like this:

I was on build 10240, RTM. The original. And I could not apply the AU via automatic update or via the ISO. I used the Media Creation Tool as well... and that didn't work either.

I ended up installing the last ISO prior to the AU, which is version 1511, build 10586.589. THAT WORKED.

I'm not going to manually apply the 1607 ISO at this point. I suspect there are defects in the installer for it that don't cover some software scenarios and just fails. I'm going to wait for Microsoft to fix the problems before letting it attempt the AU via automatic update.