Media Feature Pack won't install

Hi, I have just installed a clean copy of 10 Enterprise LTSB N edition x64. My source ISO is the latest available from MSDN. I am trying to install the Media Feature Pack because a few applications need it, but the installer seems hung. The installer version is the latest, KB3133719. It has been running for a few hours now and the window only says "Installation status: initializing installation...". The green bar at the bottom hasn't moved either. At the top of the window it says "Download and install updates", I have tried both with and without an Internet connection but nothing happens. I was able to install an older version of MFP offline awhile back, no issues. In Task Manager its' associated process registers only 2,448K of RAM usage and virtually no CPU usage, which indicates to me that the process is either dead or hung. I have ran sfc /scannow, nothing is corrupt. Doing a health check with dism reveals no issues. And volume corruption scans show nothing wrong either. Thusfar the only thing that has been done is connecting to the Internet to install Windows Updates, no other modifications have been made. I'm sure I'm using the correct version of MFP, so I cant come up with a good reason why it's not installing on a clean system.

If you have an MSDN subscription, why not just install the non N version?

AnonVendetta said:

I cant come up with a good reason why it's not installing on a clean system.

You told that you are sure about using the correct Media Feature Pack but it's still worth checking:

• KB3099229 = Media Feature Pack for Windows 10 version 1511, builds 10586 to 11102
• KB3133719 = Media Feature Pack for Windows 10 version 1607, builds 14257 (first preview) and later

I have installed and use KB3133719 without any issues in version 1607 PRO and Education editions. If you are sure you have the correct bit version of latest MFP and you are running Windows 10 version 1607, it should work.

alphanumeric said:

If you have an MSDN subscription, why not just install the non N version?

There is one really good reason to use N versions.

At least my MSDN subscriptions have a limited number of product keys available. For example the one I have through Microsoft Partner Network has, in addition to Multiple Activation Keys, five retail keys per Windows version and edition, also for N versions.

As an N version becomes a full version with MFP (full as in absolutely no difference), installing N versions and activating them with available N keys then installing MFP I can double the amount of my usable activations in this one subscription.

I just got it installed. It turns out it was hanging because I was running the installer from an external HDD. So I copied to the internal SSD and ran it again, it installed fine in seconds. Maybe the external drive had errors or some other issue that was causing the hangup.

As I already stated, I have the Enterprise LTSB N version of 10, which isn't the same as the regular consumer-focused 10 builds. I don't even know what build I have, although I think it's the LTSB equivalent of the anniversary update, since the ISO was released to MSDN in September or October if I recall correctly.

@alphanumeric: I'm choosing to use N because it has a smaller installed footprint than the regular editions, even with MFP installed. I also installed it with US English as my default language.

Maybe someone can explain to me why an edition of Windows targeted primarily at Europe, has US English as the default language. I've always wondered about this.

AnonVendetta said:

Maybe someone can explain to me why an edition of Windows targeted primarily at Europe, has US English as the default language. I've always wondered about this.

Because you have downloaded US English language version. If you had download UK English version default install language & keyboard layout (input language) had been UK English, time format British, currency symbol £ and default location United Kingdom,

Regardless of which version and edition of Windows you install, all these defaults are always automatically set according to the language of the install media. This applies to N versions, too. Living expat life here in Germany, I installed Windows 10 in Swedish yesterday on a virtual machine which set languages automatically as Swedish, location Sweden, time and currency formats as Swedish.

That you are using a version of Windows 10 that is made for European market has nothing to do it. My native languages are Finnish and Swedish, yet on my main computers I only install English Windows, in my case UK English. I know quite a many geeks doing the same, installing English Windows regardless their native languages, not to speak about corporate environments.

I know for sure that multinational companies in Europe prefer English Windows on their workstations for their international workforce. An OS version does not mean that it is available and usable only in a single country, US English Windows 10, even LTSB N is naturally also available in rest of the world, and each user can set the defaults to his / her needs.

As there have to some defaults, Windows uses this simple logic: Someone using US English Windows probably wants all defaults to be US English.

Ok, all makes sense as to why now.