New
#1
Partition table problem with Windows update
I've been trying to upgrade (not a fresh install) a Gateway desktop from Win7 to Win10 for weeks now, but the stumbling block is that SP1 is required, but I don't have it. I've been told that I can upgrade without SP1 using a DVD with the win10 iso (from the media builder tool). However I tried that and it seems that this only works for a fresh install. When I try to do an upgrade it eventually fails for an unknown reason but likely due to SP1 missing. I don't know why microsoft thinks this service pack is so important if the OS is going to get overwritten anyway. Perhaps they wouldn't require SP1 if the knew how extraordinarily difficult it can be to get. After the SP1 update failed many times I ran a separate standalone version of the service pack that I downloaded but this too also failed. I also ran the windows update trouble shooter which said that it fixed some things and that the update should now work. However it fails the same as before (even after clearing the update cache). The error I get is "error 800F0A12". Really ... how informative! I think any other company would get laughed out of business which such an error message, and I couldn't find anywhere that Microsoft even says what this error message means. The consensus from the few threads on this error seem to indicate that it doesn't like something about my partition table. So if this is the case I thought I would include this information here:
1.) 22GB Healthy Recovery Partition
2.) 100 MB Healthy (System, Active, Primary)
3.) Drive C: 909.41GB NTFS Healthy (Boot, Page File, Crash Dump, Primary)
4.) Drive M: 2794.49GB NTFS Healthy (Primary Partition)
Drive C contains the OS. No other operating system has ever been installed.
One poster on this issue suggested that Drive C must be Active.
So I marked it as Active which then rendered the computer unbootable.
I had to go to another computer to create a boot repair disk which automatically fixed the problem (by marking the second partition Active again). I don't know how the repair disk knew to do this or why Drive C shouldn't be active ... but I'm not familiar with the ins and outs of partition tables.
Does anyone have any idea what is wrong with the partition table (if anything).
I only have a month left to take advantage of the win10 upgrade offer, and at this rate I may not be able to make it.
Thanks
~Paul