Update from 19041.985 impossible, keeps rolling back

Eamoex said:

Hi,

I'm trying to help out my mom here with her little Acer Aspire. I usually don't have to make a lot of maintenance but lately she's been bugged by Windows categorically refusing to apply the update.

Present version is 2004 (build 19041.985) and everything I've tried returns the same result: update impossible, roll back at reboot. So far, I have:

• used the Windows Updates Trouble-shooter
• reset Windows Update related services
• run SFC
• run DISM
• deleted the Software Distribution Folder
• downloaded and installed updates manually from Windows Update Catalog

Short of a suggestion from you guys, my next move is to smash this computer to bits with a sledgehammer. Which isn't a viable option. So, any advice welcome.

Probably time to try an In-Place Upgrade. It repairs and updates Windows, but leaves your programs and files... intact.

Repair Install Windows 10 with an In-place Upgrade



Here is the short 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.
The ISO must be created in the same language as you are using in Windows, to be able to keep your Programs and Files.



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.

Eamoex said:

Thanks for the information and how-to, Ghot. I'm not going to do this right now, but next time I'm at my Mom's. So it could be a little while. I'll make sure to report back and let everybody know how that goes. Cheers

Hi, which Acer Aspire is it? There's a huge range... some go back many years.
How old is it- which O/S did it come with- please post its driver update page from Acer's site.

Diagnosing upgrade failure is time consuming and fraught with difficulty - unless you're very lucky.
A couple of people here have done this a few times- some have taken pages of posts and numerous days, with repeated analysis of the multiple possible logs.

You would need to start with
- the exact message on the screen
- what 3rd party security software is being used (can be a common problem).
- basic checks:
o disk space- min 30Gb free on C:
o disks - Hard Disk Sentinel
o chkdsk c: /scan - from an admin command prompt
o similarly SFC /SCANNOW

If those pass then get a copy of
setupdiag.exe (free from MS) and run that- see if it tells you anything - it scans the log files.

Then start looking at the log files (you can search to find the logs created by Windows update - also see the relevant Tutorial here.

Etc...

Lucky this time- sometimes it's next to impossible.

Now start teaching your mum about using disk imaging... routinely and regularly.. please..

Okay but, how can imaging help the update process?

No, that's not the logic at all.

It's necessary to be prepared for disaster. Backup (imaging is the most fundamental form readily available) when things are working. Not after things have gone wrong.

Point is, now there's been a major upgrade, a lot has changed on the system disk.

So NOW start a NEW disk imaging sequence with a new base (initial image)- and regular differential or incremental ones based on that.. until the NEXT major upgrade- and so on.

Then there is the argument that one should have a current image BEFORE a mjor upgrade... in case things go wrong...