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

WinTenner · 22 Mar 2023

I'm unable to install the latest update of Win 10 (22H2 and even some of the earlier ones), am getting the 'error 0xC0000005'

I've spent many, MANY hours trying all kinds of things but no luck whatsoever. It's driving me nuts.

I even tried Windows Media Creation Tool from within Windows and selected to Update and keep files, apps, etc. That didn't work either - it gets most of the way through the install process then reboots and states it couldn't be installed. Not very helpful really!

I'm now thinking of installing the tool onto a USB and booting from that, however will doing it that way allow an install and update and still KEEP my existing files, apps, settings, etc?

Bastet · 22 Mar 2023

Not if you boot from the USB. You may be able to do a custom repair but I believe this will move files to a Windows.old folder.

Have you tried resetting the update components?
Open cmd prompt/powershell with admin & enter:
Net Stop bits
Net Stop wuauserv
Net Stop appidsvc
Net Stop cryptsvc
Ren %Systemroot%\SoftwareDistribution\DataStore DataStore.bak
Ren %Systemroot%\SoftwareDistribution\Download Download.bak
Ren %Systemroot%\System32\catroot2 catroot2.bak
Del "%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\Microsoft\Network\Downloader\qmgr*.dat"
Net Start bits
Net Start wuauserv
Net Start appidsvc
Net Start cryptsvc
Restart the PC & try updating again.

And/or:
Search for services.msc & find Windows Update & ensure it is set to Automatic.

Try3 · 22 Mar 2023

I suggest you see if SFC can find and repair any errors
SFC-DISM - TenForumsTutorials

Then you can reset WU
Reset Windows Update - TenForumsTutorials
The tutorial's reset procedure is the most comprehensive WU reset procedure that's available.

Best of luck,
Denis

WinTenner · 22 Mar 2023

Bastet said:

Not if you boot from the USB. You may be able to do a custom repair but I believe this will move files to a Windows.old folder.

Have you tried resetting the update components?
Open cmd prompt/powershell with admin & enter:
Net Stop bits
Net Stop wuauserv
Net Stop appidsvc
Net Stop cryptsvc
Ren %Systemroot%\SoftwareDistribution\DataStore DataStore.bak
Ren %Systemroot%\SoftwareDistribution\Download Download.bak
Ren %Systemroot%\System32\catroot2 catroot2.bak
Del "%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\Microsoft\Network\Downloader\qmgr*.dat"
Net Start bits
Net Start wuauserv
Net Start appidsvc
Net Start cryptsvc
Restart the PC & try updating again.

And/or:
Search for services.msc & find Windows Update & ensure it is set to Automatic.

Thanks very much. Tried all of that, two 'issues':

This command:

Ren %Systemroot%\System32\catroot2 catroot2.bak

Gave an error stating that the file was in use and couldn't be deleted

and this command:

Del "%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\Microsoft\Network\Downloader\qmgr*.dat"

didn't find any matches.

Despite the above I continued anyway using Windows Media Creation Tool, but I don't think it finished - I believe it was at about 90-something percent and then simply exited but I wasn't watching it all of the time. One minute it was running, the next it was gone. The PC was otherwise still functioning normally.

I rebooted and the usual circle of spinning dots kept going for a few minutes (it's usually only a few second for a normal boot with my SSD) and I was eventually presented with the login prompt.

After logging in there was nothing to indicate anything had been done and on looking at the Updates & Security section in PC Settings the Update History is now blank (it wasn't before).

So the fun and games continues ..........

Try3 · 22 Mar 2023

WinTenner said:

Tried all of that

Use the tutorial not anybody else's version. I know Bastet is highly competent but the tutorial's version of that reset procedure is the best there is.
When you run the tutorial's batch file to do the reset, you will see some 'file not found' responses. That will not be a problem [Windows installations differ & some files will be in certain places on one computer & somewhere else in another].

Denis

Bastet · 23 Mar 2023

That sounds like the repair/reinstall completed when you restarted the PC. Do you now have a windows.old folder?
Update history will be blank after a repair.

WinTenner · 23 Mar 2023

Bastet said:

That sounds like the repair/reinstall completed when you restarted the PC. Do you now have a windows.old folder?
Update history will be blank after a repair.

Nope, no windows.old folder.

Bastet · 23 Mar 2023

WinTenner said:

Nope, no windows.old folder.

Sorry to hear things aren’t yet working.
Did you turn off any third party antivirus software & removed any external drives before running the repair?

cereberus · 23 Mar 2023

When I have a really temperamental update, I sometimes try this as a last resort. You need to be running Pro.

1) create image backup of pc on another drive (C drive plus hidden partitions)

2) create blank vhdx file large enough to hold C drive contents plus say 30 GB. This should be on a secondary drive or separate partition if only one drive.

3) restore image backup to blank vhdx file

4) attach vhdx to a new Hyper-V virtual machine, and boot it up (gen 1 for leacy bios, gen 2 for uefi).

5) try updating in virtual machine.

6) if it updates ok, which it often does (I assume this is due to drivers being handled differently), then clone vhdx file back to host.

7) reboot and with luck it will work.

8) if it did not work, restore image backup in step 1 to host pc.

My experience is if this fails, nothing usually works other than wait for next update.

x509 · 23 Mar 2023

cereberus said:

When I have a really temperamental update, I sometimes try this as a last resort. You need to be running Pro.

3) restore image backup to blank vhdx file

How created?

then clone vhdx file back to host.

How?