"Couldn't update to Windows 8.1 - 0xC1900101 - 0x40017"

Still no joy on this mess :( 

On a lark I tried MS compatibility adviser and guess what... it returns an error... so bottom line here is that MS doesn't know what works and what doesn't... what they broke or how to fix it...  and all this nonsense for what's little more than a service pack...

KNOCK KNOCK... anybody home at Microsoft ??????

Although I have no idea what was exactly my problem (0xc19000101-0x20017 error code), I finally got it to work after many attempt and weird tricks...

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows8_1-windows_install/81-update-failed-0xc1900101-0x20017/02c59ff0-e313-46cb-9503-05b9d8f2f705?page=3

I'm having the same problem on a new hp touchsmart desktop computer. Its only  like a month old and I haven't made any changes to it. I've tried to install 8.1 twice today and I get the same error code: 0xc1900101-0x30018

I am also having the 0xC1900101-0x40017 problem trying to install Windows 8.1.  I had contacted Microsoft Tech Support who took control of my PC. They disabled my 680-GTX graphics card, all or most active services, took out my Win 8 Start button, and I'm not sure what else, but error results were the same after attempting to reinstall.  Though I was able to restore Win 8, it was a mess and took me the next day to get it back in order (I had lost my USB3 ports, Homegroup, LAN, and some other processes).

 

I then went to Asus and updated my BIOS and drivers, not realizing they were now out of date. Again I tried to reinstall Win 8.1 but to no avail. This time I captured a copy (with my camera) of the split second blue screen saying your PC ran into a problem.  This occurs near the end of the attempted install.  It ends saying your error is "IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL".  Probably a divide by zero fault(?).

 

I also have built my own PC based on an Asus P9X70 Deluxe MB and a 3960X CPU.  I may try to contact MS support again, but I don't have high hopes.  This is very frustrating.

 

By the way, it was no picnic when I updated to Win 8 Pro from Win 7, it took me several days.  It was finally accomplished from a clean install off a separately purchased MS DVD of Win 8.  Perhaps this is the only way to install Win 8.1.  The thought of a clean install is painful and I don't think it is worth it.

 

Where's Microsoft in all this?

Tried clean install mate don't work

I have referenced one of my earlier posts in this reply.

I have been contacted for additional information from two moderators on this forum.  I have been contacted by a Microsoft support person by email and provided him with the files he requested.  None of these individuals have returned my contact.  I have tried every single suggestion offered in this thread, have tried some of my own ideas such as updating the firmware on my Samsung 840 SSD drive.  When that changed the error code of the failure I was having, I decided to migrate Windows 8 to a different hard drive and try the update again.  Still the same failure and error code. 

After four weeks of attempts and untold hours of effort all resulting in the same failure to update I decided to try a fresh install of windows 8.1.   I have several dozen software applications on my machine, so a fresh install set me up for hours of preparation and reinstallation of this software.  Adobe products have to be deactivated before the machine is decommissioned. Other software can be reactivated with the original keys while other software might require telephone authorization for activation.  Needless to say it is a much more time consuming process than what should have been an in-place upgrade. 

After preparing deactivating the Adobe software I began the upgrade.  Using a Windows 8.1 ISO loaded onto a bootable USB drive and using a generic 8.1 activation key to begin the process.  I left all hardware in place, including dual Nvidia 660 video cards, a PCI eSata board and all of the peripherals running under windows 8.  The installation went quickly and perfectly.  I activated Windows 8.1 with my original Windows 8 Pro key, then upgraded to Media Center with the Windows 8 upgrade key.  I installed all of the drivers for my Intel DX79SR motherboard and supplied USB Bluetooth/WiFi module, the Nvidia cards, the Syba eSata card, the Microsoft Keyboard and mouse and the Logitech Touchpad.  I followed by reinstalling the dozens of software packages I originally had on my Windows 8 installation.  It all works perfectly.

The really troubling thing is that I now have exactly the same machine as I would have through an in-place upgrade, yet the upgrade fails.  All of the hardware and software is the same, the drivers are the same, yet the upgrade failed.  This tells me that the problems we are having are introduced by the way the upgrade process is handled by Microsoft and has nothing to do with hardware or driver incompatibilities.  After an investment of 4 or 5 hours I now have a machine working properly under Windows 8.1.  It is quite disappointing that after a month Microsoft has not apparently been actively involved in correcting what is clearly a process error rather than a driver or hardware issue.