Insider upgrades always fail despite extensive swap out of hardware

bwallx · 16 Mar 2019

For the previous three years I have been an Insider but the automated upgrade system to a new Insider build or release always fails with two GSOD with a n assortment of different error codes.

My desktop is a typical patchwork of components I've upgraded over the years. To try to solve the Insider upgrade problem, I have tried it with two different mobos, different brand graphic cards, different memory sticks and a different bootdrive.

Nothing made a difference leaving me with my CPU, an i5 which I changed to an i7 with a new mobo but still got the errors.

As a result I've been doing a clean install from official Insider ISOs which is a nuisance. I tried running the ISO from a seperate drive but it refuses to offer an 'inplace' or reinstall option, instead promising me that all my programs and files will be retained. Oh no they are NOT. It trashes my Photshop, Lightroom and video editing software, their configurations and data.

[Since MS seem able to do an inplace Insider upgrade why can't I?]

Anyway, I'm at a loss as to what I can do next.

Caledon Ken · 16 Mar 2019

Have you ever started with say 1803, fully installed and patched, confirmed activation and then gone from there?

lx07 · 16 Mar 2019

bwallx said:

I tried running the ISO from a seperate drive

It used to cause an issue if ISO was on external drive in the past but I thought it was fixed.

Try copying it to your desktop and then run it from there (i.e. copy ISO file to desktop, double-click on it to mount then browse to setup.exe on newly mounted drive).

bwallx · 17 Mar 2019

Thanks. I have indeed tried it from a fully patched 1803 etc. And the ISO was on a separate internal SATA drive not external. I didn't launch from the boot drive as I wanted an inplace reinstall.

Caledon Ken · 17 Mar 2019

Wow different CPUS, MOBO's, memories, graphic cards, boot drives. That doesn't leave much else to swap out.

So I also think you are saying it is additional software as I think you are saying you installed 1803 and tried to upgrade right from there. So no third party AV, no special software.

While a true WAG, are these devices offline when you upgrade. The only thing that appears to be common is your network. How that can cause this.

What about PSU, is that common in all builds?

bwallx · 17 Mar 2019

PSU is a heavy duty Corsair. It frustrates me because of course Microsoft are not able to help despite me sending reports for years. However it does mean I'm expert at doing a fresh install on a clean drive!!

Caledon Ken · 17 Mar 2019

I hear you on the heavy duty but some of their products plug in on USB or some other characteristic. Can you borrow a PSU as a test.

Looking for something common as it is, in my opinion, unusual to find two devices that can't upgrade. I say two, depending on how you count all the different things you've inserted, mobo's, memory, cpu's, graphics we could say it is unusually to find a dozen machines that can't upgrade.