Windows Media Creation Tool - can I do an UPDATE from a USB boot ?

Okay, let's backup here and go to the start.

The PC I'm trying to update is one that I rarely use and it isn't even connected to the Internet that often.

It's running Windows 10 Pro, 64-Bit - Version 1909 (OS Build 18363.1556)

So as you can see it's running a pretty old version that's now unsupported.

A couple of years ago it failed to install one of the updates, specifically KB5003635

It kept trying and I got so fed up with it that I installed Shutup10 to prevent the frequent update attempts, this also had the benefit of enhancing some privacy on the PC, etc. I should point out that this problem weren't caused by Shutup10 as it happened before it was installed.

Since then I've reset Shutup10 to the Windows default values and don't use it any more.

I've tried manually installing KB5003635 from the Microsoft Catalog page (https://www.catalog.update.microsoft...px?q=KB5003635) and it appears to go through the process but then after the reboot it's installing away quite happily and gets into the high percentile then gives the error:

We couldn't complete the updates. Undoing Changes.

As an experiment I've tried installing other updates after KB5003635 but none work.

I've tried disabling the virus checker too, but no luck.

I feel that if I could get KB5003635 installed then all may be well, but how to install it?

It would help of course if I knew WHY Windows was failing to install the update but of course it's not that helpful.

So that's where it is now. Tempted to reinstall from scratch but as mentioned earlier I have so much installed on the PC that even though I don't use it much I use it enough for it to be a huge pain to reinstall everything.

Note that there is an update prior to KB5003635, and that's KB5003212 which is a Preview build which I've never tried to install (I don't install preview builds if I can help it).

- - - Updated - - -

Edit: Think I'll start a new thread with this post as while it's related to my initial (and still ongoing) problem it may help that I can nail down the issue to an earlier update.

Thanks a bunch, I'll give that a try.

Edit: no luck with that web site I'm afraid, if I select the required version it errors with:

"File is not available for download"

I can find it elsewhere but which other sites can I trust?

The site you linked to does point to:

Home :: List of files by Microsoft(R)

so I guess that's okay?

It does though only have the files available via torrents.

Update on the update torture - downloaded the relevant 2004 ISO, mounted it and ran the setup from the mounted drive.

It seemed to get to about 91% (at least that was at that point when I last looked at it) but a few minutes later I checked again and the setup/installation had ended with no messages at all. No prompt to reboot either, etc. It had just gone away as if I had cancelled and exited Setup (which I hadn't).

So I rebooted anyway and it took longer than usual as if it was installing something, but on checking the update installations with PC Settings, etc - no change!

Should I have run the Setup from a USB drive instead? (using Rufus to install onto the USB drive of course).

Or should I have booted from the USB drive? I'm guessing not as I know that updating via Safe mode, for example, isn't a good idea because then it won't always pick up all of the device drivers, etc so I assume that Setup has to be run from a normal Windows session?

I must say that the reporting of Windows when there are Update errors is absolute garbage. The fact it doesn't even indicate where the error occurred is maddeningly frustrating.

Thanks, I'll try 1909.

Should I be running it from a mounted ISO or an ISO that has been installed onto a USB with Rufus?

As for Shutup10, how can I verify that it's put back everything as it was prior to it being used?