Resolved Getting win 10 WITHOUT being up to date on 8.1

I have a brand new laptop that has had multiple issues caused by failed windows updates, leaving the system unbootable and causing me multiple days of headaches and lost productivity.

At present, the system is reasonably stable, but sfc /scannow detects several issues that it is unable to repair. I will not be applying windows updates, as this is what has rendered the system unusable several times.

I would like to upgrade to 10, as that would (presumably) overwrite the corrupt files detected by SFC, overcoming that issue as well as all of the others with 8.1 (which I detest with a passion and want to get rid of ASAP)

My question is - is there a way to get the windows 10 upgrade WITHOUT running all of the 8.1 updates first? Everything I Have read about the process required 8.1 to be up to date - something I cannot achieve, so the "automatic upgrade" will not work. I therefore require a different route to the upgrade come 29th.

 

What makes you think that you won't have the same problems with Win 10? Did you get a disk or make a back up of the OS when you got the PC? Most new PC's bug you till you do make the back up copy.

 

I would hope that win 10 is more complete and less buggy than 8.1, which has been almost universally decried as a major step backwards from 7 (IMHO)

The reason that I hope (and expect) that it will provide some resolution is that it will overwrite the files that seems to have become corrupted during a clone from HDD to SSD (I have been through this 8 times in the last couple of weeks, and never has it reported ANY errors)

Which leaves my question hanging . . . is there a way to upgrade to 10 WITHOUT completing the 8.1 updates that screw up my system every time I try to do them?

 

I have 2 PC's with 8.1 and know several people with it also and have no problems at all. Have you thought about taking it back to where you bought it and tell them to fix it? You didn't answer the question about the Disk/Disk's.

 

What don't you like about W8.1? I have 3 drives running W8.1 and 2 running W10. This comp is running the Full W10 as I previously Posted in W10 Forum.
The use of proprietry software ie. Start8 or Classic Shell enables the user to work their way around W8.1 using the W7 or XP Start Menu.
At some point in time it's easier to learn how the new OS works with it's designed Menu/s.
These days we have the choice of Touch screen or Keyboard, so if you have a Smartphone (Touchscreen) it shouldn't be too much of a hassle to use W8.1 or W10. Neil.

 

Thank you Evan, I am aware of that and have already installed that update, however, on its own, it is not enough to trigger the upgrade process, which, from everything I have read, requires the source machine to be completely up to date with ALL updates.

That is something I am not prepared to do (again), given the issues it has already caused

 

The only suggestion would be to try the Insider route. Get Build 10162 installed ASAP and see if you can get the upgrade that way. Neil.
http://microsoft-news.com/download-windows-10-build-10162-iso/

 

I have been considering that Neil, though I have had issues with the previous build, which refused to complete the installation and again left me unable to use the machine

So far, I haven't tried it as my DSL is playing up and downloading the ISO will likely take several days

For 8.1 I have the ISO on a USB stick, as well as a recovery partition on the machine, but none seem to be able to repair the files that have become corrupt, which I have yet to identify.

 

Thanks Evan,

It is not that I can't install updates, but that when I do, they screw up the system, so I won't. Unforunately I don't know which one(s) is/are causing the problem, so I can't just avoid those ones either.

Unfortunately, I am now overseas for the forseeable future, in a different country from where I bought the laptop and where all of my belongings are stored, so I don't have access to those things either.

What I DO have is a working 8.1 installation on my HDD, which I have repeatedly cloned to the SSD, but which has always developed issues one I have. Diagnostics on the SSD say that it is fine, and that there are no bad sectors/clusters (or whatever they are called in SSD terminology)

Having installed multiple applications that involved days of downloading, I really don;t want to be taking steps backward, so the next step will probably be to do a complete system backup to external media then remove my firewall (Zone Alarm) which conflicted with 10 but also wouldn't install,then update to the version I have on ISO and take it somewhere with a decent internet connection to let it update to 10240, as mine is far too problematic

It would be great if 10240 was available on ISO, but I know that there are no official ones yet and am not prepared to risk using an unofficial one from an unknown source

 

They seem to cause corruption in the system files somehow, presumably during one of the restarts, which leaves me with an unbootable system that fails self-repair and gives me no option but to wipe the disk and start again (see this thread for more info)

The original disk (HDD) that came with the machine still contains the original installation, which works fine, so I have been using it only to clone to the SSD, then working on that system, with the HDD hidden to prevent mistakes.

The exact same thing has happened twice, both with the laptop on mains power and left unattended during the update process (bear in mind this was the first update of a new machine, so there were several GB of updates to download, and my rural DSL is, at best, slow - 2MB max)

It would reboot into an endless loop of startup attempts, which would eventually go to safe mode, but none of the repair tools worked and SFC couldn't find anything it could repair either

 

I note that you referred to your Logic mouse buttons not working properly on your other Post. Have you tried working with the laptop Touchpad while doing the OS install.
There is a possibility that the mouse may cause a problem with the install. Take out the USB Dongle and try a Fresh install.
I read an article where the guy had this problem and couldn't get a clean install and it was on a laptop using external mouse. Once he got the laptop setup running properly - he went back to using the mouse without problem. Neil.

 

This is the link you will find helpful on W10. The latest update will only be provided through WU - therefore 10162 would need to be installed (or one of the others) then 10240 comes via WU.
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/insider/wiki/insider_wintp-insider_install/how-to-create-an-installation-dvd-or-usb-for-build/94ed9bb0-e638-4d7e-9678-7f45c8666013?OCID=WIP_r_Body_Wiki
Cheers Neil.

 

Updated for completeness - thanks for the prompt Evan!

I eventually managed to download the release version of 10 after the public launch.

This didn't quite go as I had planned, as it refused to install as an update and insisted on a fresh install as a new OS (something that I tend to do relgularly anyway, but was loath to do on this occasion as I do not have my backup resources to hand)

After making copies of as much as I possibly could (to do with software settings transferred from my other PC originally), I took the plunge and did the wipe and fresh install, which went remarkably painlessly. Restoring software was a chore I always detest, but worked fine.

I now have a more or less working system, though the logitech mouse issue is not completely resolved (though it is better than before). The most frustrating thing is that it is impossible to interact with dialogue boxes with the mouse attached - only the keyboard will work. If I boot without the mouse attached, the mousepad is fine, but if I boot and/or use the mouse, the mousepad is equally ineffective at interacting with dialogue boxes.

I am still pursuing it with Logitech, but am not aware of a solution yet.

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions here- they were much appreciated