Trainwreck of errors related to seemingly-normal Win10 updates - help!

My wife's Win10 laptop went from working well to being a train wreck, over the past month or so. It's her computer, and I'm not micromanaging the usage, so I'm a bit sketchy on the details.

Several weeks ago I noticed a "something didn't go right" (paraphrase) message on her computer, and she didn't sound too concerned, and I had other fish to fry, so I let it go. But then I've seen it other times, and the messages appear to be pointing to a failure to update Windows 10.

This was a machine purchased new, with Win10 factory-installed, not a DIY upgrade. And she'd had it 18 months or so before these problems started.

When I tried to click "try again" on the error message, it downloaded, verified, and "installed" the updates, getting 100% through the steps. But then I got a message - on a machine that is running Win10, and has never run anything but Win10 mind you - that the computer cannot run Windows 10.

Here are some things that I found in poking around the computer (and Malwarebytes is running on it now, so maybe I'll have more later):

There are thousands of Errors in the event viewer just today, and 11,000+ in the past 7 days: Among them:

• An ESENT error, event ID 454, mentioning "data base recovery/restore failed with unexpected error -543"
• Another ESENT error, Event ID 453, message contained "tiledatalayer" and "recovery could only locate logfiles up to 15"
• An Event name AppxDeploymentFailureBlue
• Another event name WindowsUpdateFailure3
• There is a desktop shortcut on her laptop for "Windows 10 update assistant" - which appears to open a legitimate Windows Update dialog, but I find the presence of a shortcut on the desktop to be odd, and, as a Windows 7 user myself, I don't know what a "legitimate" Windows Update looks like in Win10
• Launching this program gives a screen with the following message: "This pc is not currently running the latest and most secure version of windows 10. This PC is running version 10240. The latest version is 16299. We can help you get the latest security enhancements and feature improvements. Click 'Update Now' to get started."

It appears that I cannot launch programs using the search field in the Windows start menu. For example, if I type "Windows Update" it finds something, but I can't click on this to start Windows Update. Same with Malwarebytes, which I launched by finding the source application program in the Program Files subfolder and launching from that.

I'm going to keep investigating, and I am hoping that there is a simple fix or fixes. Some of this stuff I have found referenced elsewhere on this forum.

But I'm hoping that, as I did, someone will read this, and be able to point me toward a proven solution.

Update.

I was able to use this thread and bat file: Reset Windows Update in Windows 10 Windows Update Activation Tutorials to attempt to fix things, and then at least I could launch the updater.

However, the updates failed, and the message below is what I got:

Now mind you, this IS a Win10 computer! It came with Win10 installed on it and has never run anything else.

I somehow was able to view the update history - once - and then have failed since. I seem to recall that there were occasional - not many - Win10 updates into November, but none since.

The event viewer reveals errors with the updater going back to August 2017.

I would not particularly mind taking the computer to my local repair shop and for $75 they wave their magic wands and make everything clean again.

But I'd feel a lot better if I could fix this myself.

Again, suggestions?

asus2016 said:

... But I'm hoping that, as I did, someone will read this, and be able to point me toward a proven solution.

Reset Windows 10 Installation Upgrade Tutorials

Very many (apparently) are reluctant to go here, but using Windows 10,
suggest getting used to RESET to a clean build.

Suggest, unless you are a software engineer, to ignore error messages in the event viewer.
Typically, there are always warnings and errors using Windows.
Windows code has many error producing issues.

Starting with a clean build is a place to start.
How updates are installed makes a difference.
If using "wireless" , failures are common.
Using ethernet, failures are LESS common.

Problems are common when users "self-configure" or "make-adjustments" to the operating system
by editing a "service" or making changes to the registry.

nt62 said:

Reset Windows 10 Installation Upgrade Tutorials

Very many (apparently) are reluctant to go here, but using Windows 10,
suggest getting used to RESET to a clean build.

I appreciate this, but I'm reluctant to go to quickly to a clean build as a panacea. The computer boots, seems to run quickly enough, performs the tasks we want - and it would mean giving up probably close to a full day to do a clean build - which may or may not be successful, and if it fails, we've lost even more - and then have to reinstall and configure all the software on the computer.

By playing around with the PowerShell, I *may* have solved the ESENT errors - whose occurrence was transparent to users, but the error clutter in the event viewer looked scary.

The biggest issue now is that Windows Updates don't work, and that I'm getting messages - on a Windows 10 machine - that it couldn't be installed.

A closer look at the update history is a big scary. The application updates seem to have worked fine on the computer, but there have been fewer than 100 Windows 10 updates in the year and a half we've had it. One in 11/2017, a couple in 9/2017 - really sporadic, and they should have been occurring monthly.

If I could ask for one thing right now, it would be for the Windows Update to work properly, and for that to happen without having to do a clean build.

Have you run an ADMIN CMD of sfc /scannow as well as the DISM CMDs of
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

If their is corruption that can't be fixed downloading a copy of the latest OS to the desktop then mounting it and running setup as ADMIN keeping everything would be the best option.

Reinstalling and configuring software will always be a sore spot.
Programs with activations and licenses can be a problem if removed.
Sympathize with your position.

it would mean giving up probably close to a full day to do a clean build

Just for the record, depending on ones system performance,
a RESET should only take less than 30 minutes.
My Atom powered Surface 3, sporting a CPU running only a few watts,
can RESET in less than an hour.

If your laptop was designed for Windows 10,
it would have an embedded key -
a clean installation on unallocated space from a thumb drive ISO would only take about 15 minutes.

Create Bootable USB Flash Drive to Install Windows 10 Installation Upgrade Tutorials

Wouldn't call it a panacea.
IMHO - it's a cleaning.

Cheers - Best Wishes - good luck with the wreck
the geek squad may charge $$ to do a RESET for you

First off, the OP never stated the system in question (Looking at his "system Config" its a ASUS machine ? / Maybe). But without that information, I would recommend the steps outlined by "BAT 1". If those steps don't restore your system, then a clean install would be the last resort.

Bat 1 said:

Have you run an ADMIN CMD of sfc /scannow as well as the DISM CMDs of
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

If their is corruption that can't be fixed downloading a copy of the latest OS to the desktop then mounting it and running setup as ADMIN keeping everything would be the best option.

I did this, and no errors were detected.

I then tried this approach - Repair Install Windows 10 with an In-place Upgrade Installation Upgrade Tutorials - using an ISO file downloaded to a USB drive. However, when I mounted and ran the ISO, during Step 8, whether I chose to download updates now or later, I got the message saying that this PC - that is running Windows 10 - can't run Windows 10, and to check with my manufacturer (ASUS in this case) for new BIOS.

I'm going to wave the white flag and have a shop - not the "Geek Squad" mentioned elsewhere in this thread, but a dedicated bunch of pros who have been really valuable in handling computer matters I can't, over the past 7 years - address this matter. I'll report back, probably in a week or so.

Hello storageman.

agreed. What works best!
Business techs would certainly agree as well.
A company networking 1000 computers would need a less invasive fix.
Or an enduser with any number of programs installed should seek (OS) software repair first.

I admit to being jaded about operating systems.
Since MS-DOS / PC-DOS and Windows 3, since 1985ish,
I have installed thousands of systems.

In the time it takes one to do "scannow" or other repairs,
the time it takes to research issues, diagnose problems, find fixes,
could take days or weeks OR a system could be up and running in minutes.

Since Windows 8.0, the task of doing a clean install was cut down to minutes.
Microsoft has provided an integrated system to wipe the slate clean.
A RESET - can take an hour or as little as 15 minutes.
This feature I respect and have used many times.
To All, thanks and best wishes.

good luck asus2016