Repair Install: PC=2004 MCT=20H2. Fails.Have new MB & CPU. Complicated

@macnab

You say you tried a repair install, but I'm wondering if you tried an In-Place Upgrade.
Repair Install Windows 10 with an In-place Upgrade


Seems to have a very high success rate.








Here is my version of the In-place upgrade tutorial...

DISABLE non-Microsoft:
a) antivirus software
b) firewall software
c) drive encryption software

Make a full OS backup with a program like Macrium Reflect (free)
Macrium Software | Macrium Reflect Free

Go here and get the Media Creation Tool and save it to your desktop.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/soft...load/windows10

RUN the Media Creation Tool and use it to: Create an ISO image... save IT to your desktop.
This will be the latest version of the ISO image.




Right click the ISO image and choose: MOUNT
Open File Explorer and you will see a new drive letter. It will look like a DVD optical drive.
Double click the new drive letter to open it.
Find setup.exe and double click it to start the in-place upgrade.

Choose the Keep personal files and apps option.

After it's all done... to UNmount the ISO image, right click the new drive letter and choose: EJECT.


The ONLY thing you will lose is some of your personalizations. Your programs and data will be intact.







/edit
Back in July 2020 I had problems going from v1909 to v2004. Nothing I did worked.
Tried the In-Place Upgrade method...worked great. Haven't had a problem since.

macnab said:

I tried not to do upgrade, but ......

I decided to give Windows another chance and restarted. An absolutely smooth boot.
Checked in update history. No mention of KB4601554. But that was a "preview", and I did let it download updates during the repair, so maybe the full update is now loaded. And it doesn't give problems.

Reflekt is still struggling but, on reflection, I hooked up the backup to a PCI SATA expander, and that could be a problem. Will try a MB port. (My new MB has 2 SATA ports less than the old and the 4 port SATA expander is on order.)

Will report back.

Might want to periodically check here. They have the offline installers for the updates, which also seems to work better than Windows Update...

https://www.tenforums.com/windows-10-news/

@Ghot I have created a Favourite to the page.

In the past, my image was always the same version as the PC. Following the steps you describe did a Repair Install.
This time, with the image one step ahead of the PC, following the exact same steps, it did an In-place Upgrade. Even though I was trying to do a Repair Install. Downloaded the 2004 MCT, but it refused to run, said there is a later version.

A bit of luck with the timing, and my "preview" update problem was solved.

After that, it turns out I had forgotten to install the chipset drivers.

So Reflekt trashed the backup drive. A couple of hours hard slog later, and everything is working smoothly.

Thanks for the help.

EDIT: The Build No is unchanged.

- - - Updated - - -

I need help.

After last post it took 26 minutes to do a disk clone with Reflekt.
I streamed an hour of video.
Then I watched rugby.
Decided my system is good. It says I need updates. I still need KB4601554.
I have to install it. Can't avoid the future.

This is where I have to link up with ASUS as well:

Says I must restart.
I Restart.
I shows light blue restarting screen.
It says Press F2 or Del to enter startup.
It beeps.
It shows the 2 drives on the PCI SATA expansion card.
Black screen.
...................

30 minutes later...........

Switch OFF.
Switch on. Press On button.
It Boots!!!!!!!

When it has settled try Reflekt again.
It is going to take 4 hours to write 250MB.

If I select/press Restart I get:
Enter Set-up
Beep
Check PCI plugins
.................................................................................

It should be
Beep
Check PCI plugins
Enter Setup
Boot

It has taken Reflekt 47 minutes to write 13% of a 240GB partition.

Something is wrong.

@macnab


Here's what I would do.
Reset the BIOS to defaults, like this...

1. Turn the computer OFF
2. Turn switch on back of power supply OFF.
3. Hold the case power button, down for about 10 seconds.
4. Take out the CMOS battery. (nickel sized battery on the motherboard) Wait 5 minutes.
5. Put battery back in. Turn switch on power supply ON.
6. Start computer. Hit the DEL key to enter the BIOS (setup)
7. Once you are in the BIOS hit the F10 key, to save and exit.



Then see what your computer does.



/edit

If it keeps beeping... count the beeps. And note whether they are long or short beeps.