Windows 10 How to best re-install W10 after a buggy v1809 update? Best process?

  • Thread starter Thread starter acontrario
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acontrario

Hello,


I am sure this question has been asked thousands time. Is so, could someone kindly point me to it. There is now too much info when searching. I should perhaps also try Brink on 10forum, superbly pedagogical and to the point.

I am fed up trying to get my W10 post 1809 update to work.


On a previously reasonably working well W10 Pro install (i7 SSD 1TB 3 years old) - migrated from a W7 Ultimate OEM - using a ISO disk (Windows Media Creation Tool having failed systematically), I performed the update.


Before the 1809 update:

  • I had performed a scf /scannow (no integrity issues but many "duplicate ownership" of folders errors) and a dism repairHealth (successful) to be sure before the update.
  • Malwarebytes having scanned all before update.
  • MS W7 full backup performed on disk before the update: BUT: Impossible to roll-back (errors in the process) so useless but perhaps better so: a clean install seems even more necessary.
  • Have a bootable USB key ready where I downloaded an app from Microsoft dedicated to perform a repair disk before this OS update. But will it work? If it is like the restore above, or like MediaCreationTool having failed several times under me, I will be in problems.
  • The 1809 update would not run automatically (errors in loops). I ran it from a downloaded install copy from Microsoft. It ran successfully 1st time.

Symptoms after 1809 update from 17?? :

  • extra slow
  • huge memory consumption (8GB mem, 70% full at start and continuously after, why? - all possible apps at start closed down in msconfig and after - while before, reaching 50% was exceptional only with large autocad or huge excel & many apps open)
  • would need off/on power button after 15 minutes or so
  • wobbling screen by fraction of second, jittering briefly, part black screen, full black screen while working in the background (never seen this before, I thought seriously I had a hardware problem). Also, forcing on HD 15.6" screen 125% instead of 100% making impossible apps to run incl W10 apps (event filter for example).
  • example of app crash: start Outlook 2016, try sending a message, clicking "Security Settings..." to send an email with certificate and systematic immediate crash of Outlook. Plenty of similar weird examples. Outlook is fabulous: it restarts each time without a complaint! So are other Office apps let down by the OS.
  • error messages with "running out of memory", among other weird random error messages (no pattern but I am not expert)
  • huge events log (>2000 "errors" in two days), totally unusual
  • I tried to export the event log but too long & crashes while filtering. Got fed-up. I only got parts of it. I am not sure of this is usefull here. => clean re-install

W7 restore (rstrui) having failed, I have Acronis but no point restoring something broken. I suspect the mecanism of access rights to be broken because I saw a lot of errors are related to access rights, but not sure. A mixed bag. Also, laundry lists of errors related to H-Virtualization? I don't use as a user H-Virtualization now but perhaps W10 uses it. 1st time I see this.


Who tested this release? Congratulations to the new quality control before release. MS had tremendously improved. But it seems management has taken decision leading us to get back to old dark days of MS development. The pendulum is swinging backwards.


Rather than risking repairing badly or carrying leftover from the past, I am looking at the best & safest procedure to make a clean "re-install" of Windows.


I make an extra effort not to use Microsoft W10 Folders to store data but Microsoft doesn't help segrating system, applications & user data, so never a guarantee to have everything. May I miss something? Normally, W10 is on its own logical drive (primary partition), key data is on another logical drive, and less sensitive data on another logical drive, trying to keep things well segregated. But it is easy to miss something.

Is there somewhere a tutorial step by step to repair a damaged W10 install with special html pages well documented. If not, this is my strong recommendation. My main concern is to lose the MS W10 Pro licence attached to this hardware. Then having to go through the hassle of getting one back.


1) I listed all installed apps (manually with a tool)

2) I got all the licences keys. But what when W10 was installed above a OEM W7 like in my situation with the faulty PC? Can I retrieve these rights if I erase all? Worried

3) Office Pro 2016: easy, I uninstall before. NB: I know I should never do that with Office 2010 Pro as I did 2 months ago otherwise MS makes it nearly impossible to reinstall Office 2010 now from my very bad recent experience (huge key to supply, etc.). Organised problems for users. I gave up on a other machine I barely use, nevertheless, this is not ethical behaviour to prevent wrongly to reinstall.

4) other non MS apps with licences: get the licences ready

5) I have always a folder separate with all sources used to reinstall and there are internet downloads if needed

6) get my USB stick for repair disk ready

7) I have of course the data backups (not much data here, 500 GB about).

8) Fdisk? Chkdisk? If this update problem was hiding a hardware problem?

Unfortunately, the laptop is no longer serviceable (Sony Vaio) and has no utility to test the hardware. For a moment, I really thought the hardware was for the bin, then I realised I had performed the update manually.


My SSD laptop has 3 main user partitions (OS & apps on primary, Data incl mails & users things normally buried in AppData folders, Other). I hesitate between starting from a new formatted OS partition for the OS or "repairing" the OS by destroying the existing W10 1809 with performing on top of it a clean install. I don't do this often hence my hesitations. Also, I saw errors related to BCD & virtualisation apparently prevented in BCD. Will they be repaired in the special partitions? I guess yes but I am not sure.

Again, if I have a suggestion to make, it would be for MS to build an automated process to facilitate this "clean" repair, taking user's apps into account. There is a process that does not include users apps. If Google can do it on Android phones, showing their developers & management care all the way, why wouldn't MS do it also?


Do I miss something in this rebuild process as described above (I forgot patience, and I am short of it. Aie.)? I am just an ordinary user having learned scratched the surface through problems. I have no or little knowledge in Windows. I need advice.


Thanks

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