A person at work has asked me to upgrade their system from Windows Home to 10. I can't seem to get it to work due to Updates. I have tried all the advice in the thread:
viewtopic.php?f=26&t=1393
with no success. I did updates to install manually but it was a bit flakey.

This is why I posted this in hardware... The laptop system has a battery issue where the battery icon in the notification area suggests that the battery be replaced as it has issues. The battery, also, will not hold a charge for long.

If installing/upgrading a system to Windows 10 it will alarm if the power brick is not attached and refuse to do the upgrade. Thinking along this line is it possible that a failed battery could affect Windows Updates?

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Apparently the answer is yes, a battery issue CAN affect Windows Updates. I've had other things to do and the person that owns the laptop is out of town anyway so I haven't done much of anything until just now this evening. LOL! Since she will be back in a few days I figured that it was about time I sorted this thing out.

Anyway I figured that no battery was a bit different than a battery with an issue so I removed the battery. The system is waiting to restart until the updates are finished. Right now it is at 59 of 119 updates installed and is churning along just fine. I just don't really understand why Windows would care about a battery issue if the danged thing is plugged in anyway...

I'll follow up with total results but it is looking good.

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Bad hardware always does something. I had all sorts of little issues and hangs and freezes when my UPS was going. Those issues are all gone now that I have removed it. I have to assume that as long as a battery is present, the computer is actually running on the battery, even while the battery is charging.

I was going to question your statement in your first post about the machine alarming if the battery wasn't attached. I'd never seen anything like that. I was going to suggest you just remove the battery and do the updates while the pc was plugged in. Looks like that's what you did. What did you mean by the alarm then? I was under the impression you couldn't use the laptop at all unless the battery was plugged in.

Fact is, I suspect that the updates were not the only issue this pc had due to the bad battery. I'm sure it had other things going on as well.

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Patty MacDuffie
Computer Haven Administrator

Live Long and Prosper
Mr. Spock

The alarm is with the battery in or out. Mayhaps alarm is the wrong word. The tray icon for the battery is red. The difference between the battery in and out is that with it in hovering over the icon reports that there is an issue with the battery and it should be replaced. With the battery out it just reports that a battery was not detected.

BTW, all 119 updates were installed successfully.

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Ah, got it. OK, cool!

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Patty MacDuffie
Computer Haven Administrator

Live Long and Prosper
Mr. Spock

Still a problem. When upgrading the system to Windows 10 using the Media Creation Tool it will hang forever at 99% complete. I have left it there for over 12 hours with no completion. The cure follows.

1.Open File Explorer , type C:\$GetCurrent in the address bar, and then press Enter.

2.Copy and paste the Media folder to the desktop. If you don't see the folder, select View and make sure the checkbox next to Hidden items is selected.

3.Restart your PC, open File Explorer , type C:\$GetCurrent in the address bar, and then press Enter .

4.Copy and paste the Media folder from the desktop to C:\$GetCurrent .

5.Open the Media folder, and double-click Setup.

6.Follow the instructions to start the upgrade. On the Get important updates screen, select Not right now, and then select Next .

7.Follow the instructions to finish upgrading to Windows 10. After it's done, make sure to install available updates. Select the Start button, and then select Settings > Update & security > Windows Update > Check for updates.

I can only guess why this works but it does. My belief is that it changes permissions causing the Windows 10 Upgrade routines to revert to how it would be if you had created physical media. For example, if upgrading straight through the Media Creation Tool, you will never see the option to postpone updates during the install. Nor will you have the option as to what to keep.

Final result is that the system is running Windows 10 and, presently, installing updates without issue. I consider this system done.

I'm fairly certain that I could have just thrown in one of my Windows 10 DVD installs and been fine but I wanted to try this solution.

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OK.

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Patty MacDuffie
Computer Haven Administrator

Live Long and Prosper
Mr. Spock

LOL! Hey, you know me... I always have to take the more difficult method just to see if I can do it. Actually it was not a difficult solution but it was interesting. Following the instructions I listed above a total newbie could easily do this.

Patty, you have known me for many years and know that I love the new. Today there just isn't anything really new as to a basic computer system. Yes there are new interfaces and such but what is REALLY new. I SO much miss the days when every month there was something totally new to figure out. It just isn't the same today; the things are toasters.

I figured early on with this system that I could upgrade to 10 using an install DVD but there was no hurry and I wanted something new so went through the process. It is just like my thread about installing my new CPU cooler; I could have easily bought one that would just clip in as did the old but chose the one I did just to have something new to do.

I guess the way I want to see a computer is just antiquated in today's world. If this post sounds like I am frustrated I guess that I really am frustrated. In today's world you can't really control your system as it is just too interdependent on the Net. Also the OS is just to big to control; best you can do is to try to figure out the settings as best as you can. You can decide (to a point) what software is on the system but you no longer have total control of your system. I miss the days when you did have control. Yes, I'm an antique and am fully aware of the fact.

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I have a brilliant idea for you. Go adopt a dog.

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Patty MacDuffie
Computer Haven Administrator

Live Long and Prosper
Mr. Spock

Nice one Patty.

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Joan Archer
http://crossstitcher.webs.com

In my humble opinion Microsoft haven't really done anything new with their OS's since they moved on from Windows 3.
e.g. Windows 95 and NT were huge leaps forward, everything else since then has pretty much been 'tinkering under the hood', something that for the most part has backfired on them spectacularly... think about that for a second... aside from Win95/XP SP3/7 (Win7 is debateable) they haven't released a version of windows that the general public has embraced.

One of the things that's always amazed me since the Win95/NT days has been Microsoft's insistence that every new OS released is somehow something new and a must have that will change the way you work and play with computers.

The reality, in my opinion, is that all they've actually done is released the same OS's but renamed and shuffled locations of the existing bundled software into a flashy new interface that they claim is required to run with the latest software and hardware... I have not a shadow of doubt that MS could have, if they so wished, issued updates to make their post 95/NT OS versions compliant, but for commercial reasons they chose not to do so.

It also seems that every new OS is issued with 'improved security' as the main selling point.

That's something that could, and probably should, have been easily remedied in their existing OS's.

Instead, all we get is software disablement if you've not "upgraded".

Internet Explorer being a prime example of software that MS have historically stopped being offered as an update if you don't "upgrade" to the latest OS release... leaving the end user with little choice but to upgrade if they wish to remain 'safe' online.

I'll end my rant there and (almost) finish by saying that the next leap forward will almost certainly come from Quantum Computing research... the end result may or may not be a Quantum Computer itself but i'll bet there's a spinoff from that research that at least truly shakes up the computing industry.

Whether or not Microsoft end up as major players when that happens remains to be seen, but at least they appear to be taking the prospect seriously:

Microsoft doubles down on quantum computing bet:
http://blogs.microsoft.com/next/2016/11 ... puting-bet

To close, I say this to Jay....

Look again at Android, it's still a relatively infant platform and should be perfectly suited for your natural coding skills.

That statement is patently absurd; so you'll excuse me if I stopped reading right there.

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Patty MacDuffie
Computer Haven Administrator

Live Long and Prosper
Mr. Spock

No excuse required, it was just my opinion.

@ Patty: LOL! Funny that you should suggest that I get a dog as I have often considered doing so. Still I probably won't do so as I would want nothing but another Black Lab; Remember all my talk about Rudy? I just cant justify putting a dog like that in a one bedroom apartment. If I ever did end up going back to having a pet it would probably be a cat or my setting up another aquarium... A bird is not out of the question.

Sorry but I just get nostalgic at times. It must be remembered how early I got in to computers. My first system was only capable of 64 KB of memory and used a cassette tape drive for storage. I wanted the awesome amount of 128 KB of memory and succeeded. This involved cutting traces on the mother board and re-routing pins on the memory addressing chip. Bottom line is that it worked. Good luck on pulling something like off with a current system.

It has to be remembered that while I did a LOT of programming in the early days my true love has always been hardware. There just isn't anything to do today as to hardware. Using my example of increasing the memory to over the original max specs you just can't do something like that today. If your system has a max memory limit of 8 GB and you find that you need 16 GB your only option is to replace the mother board.

Don't get me wrong! I REALLY like my current systems. I just, sometimes, get nostalgic and miss the days when you could make a system unique on the hardware level.

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I understand about the nostalgia.

OK, a cat then. Do you have a local shelter? Some cat somewhere is waiting for you. And if I were you, I'd get two. That way they can keep each other company while you are at work. Perhaps not kittens. Perhaps your shelter has a pair that has been together that should stay together. All I know is that there are cats out there that need homes - and you could use the companionship.

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Patty MacDuffie
Computer Haven Administrator

Live Long and Prosper
Mr. Spock