Question windows refuses to update anyone have any ideas?

Jun 30, 2023
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My PC will not update. I have tried everything. Anything normal ideas such as the troubleshooter or disabling services or the update service or checking for drivers or running certain tests or certain commands. None of it works. I tried the update assistant, i tried the media creation tool clean install thing both by running it from the PC and also doing it from the boot menu. I have tried to reset my PC completely.

The only odd things i have taken note of, besides the countless error message of failures with every time i try to update, is that 1 there is no option to format the drives when i am installing windows with the media creation tool. It just lets me see the drive but from what i understand i should be able to format it. And 2 out of all the commands and tests ive run the only one that comes back with problems is the DISM restore health command that goes to 63% and fails.

I know my way around a pc a little bit but i am nowhere near an expert, and i have no idea if any of those things mean anything, all i know is i am out of options and would appreciate any help or ideas even if i have already tried them. Thank you.

not sure which one of these is right or if it even has anything to do with this issue, but i figured i would link them. I found different answers on where the dism file would go after i ran the command.

cbs

https://1drv.ms/f/s!As0QK5D1JNDl9Sl497qtsNDPVqgu?e=txLaqs
dism

https://1drv.ms/f/s!As0QK5D1JNDl9SuXd8xiRMwx29IU?e=df5ofZ




and this is the errors ive been getting from some of the ways ive tried updating. Also some system information.

https://1drv.ms/f/s!As0QK5D1JNDl9S3aSbQ2Qi7JFhBk?e=FBBMYp
 
there is no option to format the drives when i am installing windows with the media creation tool. It just lets me see the drive but from what i understand i should be able to format it.

You do NOT need to format anything when installing from Media Creation Tool on a USB stick.

Correct procedure:

Disconnect all drives other than the one to receive Windows

Boot from the USB installer

It should show you the drive and all of its partitions.

Delete them ALL right then and there. That will leave nothing but unallocated space.

Proceed with the installation to the empty drive. Windows will make new partitions as it sees fit.
 
hello thank you for the response. I dont see any way to delete these drives. It just gives me the option to install windows, or it would but it has an error. Something like windows cannot be installed on this drive because of its type. ill post a picture of what i see normally.

question though, what if i wipe these drives out and the update fails again because of some reason? then the pc is done right?

Also i tried posting a picture but it wont work so ill just share it on one drive.


The first one i see is when i do what you say and boot from the usb installer, but it gives the error seen in the next link. Basically saying it cannot be installed because the drive is GPT? I was looking at how to fix it. these are not my pictures btw, just ones that show the same thing i saw .

 
What is the TOTAL capacity of the drive?

Has Windows ever worked well on this drive?

Brand name and model number of the drive?
its a 120gb western digital green ssd. i believe it updated fine for the first year or so but after that nothing and then its been a few years.
wdc wds120g2g0a-00jh30 is the model i believe.

Windows escalated support called me today and recommended basically what you did last time, just kind of wiping all the drives and installing it from the usb but they said he needed to call me back monday because i had another issue where the custom install wouldnt work because it said it couldnt install windows becuase the drives were gpt or something. so i have to fix that monday and do it i guess.

im just curious if the install fails again and the drives are wiped will i not be able to use my pc at all. but i guess either way im just out of options.
 
Seconding @Lafong with respect to disk capacity etc..

120 GB is now too small for today's OS's and apps.

My minimum is now 512 GB SSD.

Is it possible for you to clone the existing 120 GB drive to a 512 GB SSD?
im going to try to do something like that. but guess im just wiping it and doing a clean install anyway. i have a 512gb ssd that im going to try to put in. i have to look into it but i guess i could ask here as well, if my board has a sata port for it can i just get a cable and plug it in? I currently have the 120g ssd and a 1 tb hdd and then a separate 512 not in anything.

windows said it only needed 28 gb free to install it though, but i agree its too small in general so i wanted to upgrade it.
 
im going to try to do something like that. but guess im just wiping it and doing a clean install anyway. i have a 512gb ssd that im going to try to put in. i have to look into it but i guess i could ask here as well, if my board has a sata port for it can i just get a cable and plug it in? I currently have the 120g ssd and a 1 tb hdd and then a separate 512 not in anything.

windows said it only needed 28 gb free to install it though, but i agree its too small in general so i wanted to upgrade it.
We all run our machine different for some folks 120GB for the OS and apps will be too small for other folks it will be ample.

Only you can tell where you fit.

I would not think windows would have a problem installing on a disk of that size.
 
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Seconding @Lafong with respect to disk capacity etc..

120 GB is now too small for today's OS's and apps.

My minimum is now 512 GB SSD.

Is it possible for you to clone the existing 120 GB drive to a 512 GB SSD?
Honestly is an exageration, my father has a 120gb ssd with windows 11 on it, for simple browsing and gaming stuff is more then plenty. If you do not install any additional software (adobe suite, visual studio and the list go on) 120gb is more then enought. Even for gaming is ok as long as you have a 2nd drive on which to store games.
 
well either way im going to be swapping it to another 512gb ssd i have. Im just curious if i can swap this 120gb out and then put it in like a 3rd sata port and use it for some other stuff.
 
Yes 120 GB will work. As will 256 GB.

However, if there is a second drive for apps and games then the capacity of the OS host drive becomes a bit moot.

Microsoft itself states 64 GB but then caveats that size with a note to the effect that there might be "more storage requirements over time for updates....".

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/whats-new/windows-11-requirements

There are minimal specs and those specs may serve very well in some circumstances.

Overall point being that having a larger capacity drive 256/512 GB will allow plenty of room for updates and additional software. Not that much cost difference and hopefully will save some time and effort before the drive reaches capacity and a larger drive is needed anyway. And remember that space is needed for paging/virtual memory - that is important.

( Note: I also limit my drive's to about 70-80% capacity. A fully filled up drive can be problematic.)

Requirements vary and there are always trade-offs.

Having available/extra space (capacity) in place is my preferred option.

And I do use a couple of older 120 GB's for backup storage etc..

Clone the 120 GB to 512GB and then re-purpose the 120 GB once it is certain that the 512 GB (C: drive) is working as it should be.

Also remember to still back up all important data to other locations as well. Verify that the backups are both recoverable and readable.

Just in case.....
 
Yes 120 GB will work. As will 256 GB.

However, if there is a second drive for apps and games then the capacity of the OS host drive becomes a bit moot.

Microsoft itself states 64 GB but then caveats that size with a note to the effect that there might be "more storage requirements over time for updates....".

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/whats-new/windows-11-requirements

There are minimal specs and those specs may serve very well in some circumstances.

Overall point being that having a larger capacity drive 256/512 GB will allow plenty of room for updates and additional software. Not that much cost difference and hopefully will save some time and effort before the drive reaches capacity and a larger drive is needed anyway. And remember that space is needed for paging/virtual memory - that is important.

( Note: I also limit my drive's to about 70-80% capacity. A fully filled up drive can be problematic.)

Requirements vary and there are always trade-offs.

Having available/extra space (capacity) in place is my preferred option.

And I do use a couple of older 120 GB's for backup storage etc..

Clone the 120 GB to 512GB and then re-purpose the 120 GB once it is certain that the 512 GB (C: drive) is working as it should be.

Also remember to still back up all important data to other locations as well. Verify that the backups are both recoverable and readable.

Just in case.....
well im going to be adding in the 512 ssd i have today either way just for some games. but the os is like the only thing on the 120gb ssd. But the update issue is solved, thanks everyone for the help. I had to do a custom install thing and wipe the drive because it refused to installed it on a GPT drive, was the error. So thats what worked, and now its the current version. thanks again