Feb 2017 Windows Update breaks boot. Can't boot machine after Update.

Windows updated a few days ago and since then I can boot.

I get: Your PC ran into a problem and needs to restart. We're.....
'Stop code: SYSTEM THREAD EXCEPTION NOT HANDLED'

I can't manage 'Windows Update' (...there is little to manage anyway since the updates are literally forced down our throats) because at the top of the screen it says in RED, "Some settings are managed by your organization." I am the organization. This is a personal/one-user machine.

I create a full image twice a day so I used MR to restore a good image and got back in. Now, Windows 10 10586.753 installs updates every night and I have to do it all over again. I'm in a terminal loop.

I can't utilise a program like "WhoCrashed" because I can't get back in to analyze it. I have to restore an image each time. While I was in a restored image it do perform a 'Restore Point' so I could try that on the next boot failure in 'Troubleshooting.' But once in 'Advanced Options' during the boot repair, under 'Restore' I had no Restore Point listed.

I booted using WinPE and looked around a little but I couldn't find much to see or do there.

I ran SFC and DISM inside a restored image they both came back perfectly fine.

I used the following two lines in 'Safe Mode Command Prompt' during one Advanced Repair attempt but neither correct anything:

sfc /scannow /offbootdir=c:\ /offwindir=c:/windows
and
bcdedit /set {default} bootmenupolicy legacy


Crash dumps won't help because I can't get to one I don't think.

I'm really stuck. Any suggestions?

cottonball said:

RobH2,

Is this happening in a Windows 10 Pro Insider Preview build?

@RobH2 says the image he restores is Windows 10 10586.753. It may be that this 'problem' update is the Anniversary Update.

RobH2, is the update that causes trouble called 'Features update to Windows 10, version 1607'? If you turn on metered connection you can check for updates but it won't download until you allow it to.
Wireless Network Metered Connection - Set in Windows 10
Ethernet Connection - Set as Metered or Unmetered in Windows 10

Bree said:

@RobH2 says the image he restores is Windows 10 10586.753. It may be that this 'problem' update is the Anniversary Update.
RobH2, is the update that causes trouble called 'Features update to Windows 10, version 1607'? If you turn on metered connection you can check for updates but it won't download until you allow it to.

I don't know if it's the 'Anniversary' Update or not. From my perspective, it's just another periodic pushed update. One day I'm fine and now I can't reboot without restoring a saved image.

I'll look at the links and turn on metered connection. But, I need to solve this. I'm going to need to be able to continue to update at some point. I can't just stop updating forever to solve the issue. I'm surprised that I'm kind of alone in this issue. I haven't installed or modified my machine in a month previous updates have been working fine.

RobH2 said:

I don't know if it's the 'Anniversary' Update or not. From my perspective, it's just another periodic pushed update. ... I need to solve this. I'm going to need to be able to continue to update at some point. I can't just stop updating forever to solve the issue.

The Anniversary Update (1607) is not like the monthly cumulative updates, those are patches to parts of your existing system. 1607 is a complete new version of Windows 10. It's a full upgrade, not a simple update. If we can confirm that the update causing you grief is the Anniversary Update then there are two possible solutions.

We could try to sort out why the upgrade is failing for you. This would be the preferred solution as it will give you new features (Edge can now have extensions, for example).

The alternative is to hide the Anniversary Update so that it won't try to install again. This would allow you to continue receiving the security updates for your older version 1511. There will however come a date when no more updates will be issued for 1511. This has already come to pass for the original version first released in July 2015.

Bree, thanks. What do I need to do to determine whether it's the Anniversary Update 1607 or not?

Edit: I used 'Winver' and go this: Windows 10 Version 1511 KB3210721 (OS Build 10586.753)

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RobH2 said:

Bree, thanks. What do I need to do to determine whether it's the Anniversary Update 1607 or not?

The name for the AU shown in Windows Update is 'Features Update to Windows 10, version 1607'. You may find this as a failed update in your update history. It may also appear if you manually check for updates, but unless you have set a metered connection doing so will start the update again.

If the AU has tried to install it would have created two folders, C:\$WINDOWS.~BT and C:\$Windows.~WS. You will have to turn on 'show hidden files' to see both.

Thing are complicated because you have restored an old image. You may not have anything in the file history now or see the $Windows... folders, but if the update starts to download again it will recreate these folders. You may be able to spot them in time. There's some 3GB to download so it should give you time to see them before it gets too far down the road.

If your power button gains some extra options, such as 'Shutdown and update', it means the AU may be ready to try installing again. Immediately check the update history to see which update is waiting to install.

I don't know if my issues are related or independent of each other.

I've read dozens of websites and the links here about Some settings are managed by your organization. Nothing will remove that and give me the grayed out controls back. I've tried probably a dozen fixes. None work for me. I don't know when this issue appeared. I only noticed it when the forced 1607 update tried to run and failed and I started poking around. So I don't know if 1607 caused it or if it's been like this for awhile.

I run a pretty tight and clean machine. I'm not a programmer but I'm not a novice either. I've built 100 machines over the past 20-years. So if invasive techniques might solve I'm game.

I did find a link on the Microsoft site to update to 1607 manually. I downloaded that and ran it. It took over an hour and I was encouraged when it finally finished and rebooted for the final time. But, same problem. A blue screen saying "You PC ran into a problem.... Stop code: SYSTEM THREAD EXCEPTION NOT HANDLED.

So, I restored my image. And yes, because of that, I'll not be able to see if I have the $Windows folders. I don't allow Windows to hide any folders so if they had been there I'd have seen them.

I don't know what to do. I will need to update at some point but I don't know how to find out what's causing the failure.

RobH2 said:

I don't know if my issues are related or independent of each other.

I've read dozens of websites and the links here about Some settings are managed by your organization. Nothing will remove that and give me the grayed out controls back. ... I will need to update at some point but I don't know how to find out what's causing the failure.

From @cottonball's link...

If you want to remove the notification, you have to DISABLE the group policy. The policy, not its value. The value DISABLE still applies the policy EXPLICITLY allowing users to change the level of telemetry data collected on user's computers and sent out to Microsoft.
1) Set the policy to Not configured.
2) Win+R | gpupdate /force

I'd try the nuclear approach of using the group policy editor to set all policies to 'Not configured'. If the update still fails after that, it may be down to some registry setting you made manually. A clean install of 1607 may be your only way out of this dilemma.