Windows 10 update broke my computer?

When a computer is correctly installed and correctly maintained afterward the chances of harm caused by an update are dramatically reduced.

Indeed..however in my case, I keep mine tidy on a regular basis. And put off the march 2018 update intil april because I hadn't had chance to clean it up. The win 10 install was in the laptop from new in october 2017 and had run perfectly until the update. After the update it was garbage, and even after a reinstall of win 10, all drivers, etc it now runs slower, takes much longer to boot up and is just generally poorer. 

The average computer user isn't meticulous ir has the time and inclination to make sure every i is dotted and t crossed on a regular basis, just as the average driver isn't a mechanic. MS screwed up (I was as much as told this by the CS manager I spoke to), and know it. They just know most will put up and shut up...or run linux, or buy a mac.

Firstly I apologise for this verbose story , but , I think it may share with others that the problems they have faced are not always of their own volition as some of the assistive replies may suggest. I am a Microsoft user since the first DOS and was brought up on DGs and  floppy disks pre Winchester era.

I am a computer and software professional, my living depends on how I manage my systems and the data it contains, and to date I have followed best practices of maintaining data and structure and strongly advocated others to follow the advice of updating their systems regularly and maintaining a clean system. however , like others here  the last update completely killed my home machine.

However I had cloned the hard disk  ( three times at various time intervals as I had old hard disks available ) and also had stored recovery points and regular  backups. I was ready...not !!. The recovery process did not function correctly, I could only restart in safe mode, I installed the most recent  clone hard disk , that was updated with the new update and it was destroyed. I had done my Chkdsk and sfc options on the clone before I connected to the internet so there were no errors.

So back I went to Clone 2, except I then re-cloned this update so I would not have to go further back than needed if it arrived at the same outcome if and when it updated. Lo and behold it did, and again wipe out the system again, unable to reboot unless in safe mode.

However when once again re cloning the hard disk I verified again that there were no disk or structure issues, fully reformatting it before cloning . So I tested this disk again off the internet and it performed perfectly in all bios and hard disk integrity testing.

Finally I looked at the log of my original clone and it was when I updated to windows 10 from windows 8 , so again I cloned this and ensured that everything was functioning ,  I blocked all updates to the new disk , and , it works perfectly, true I don't get updates , but it works .

One could argue that the later versions became corrupted and I thought the same , so , being an engineer who likes a technical challenge   I cloned the original again , and let Windows do its thing, updating merrily , after numerous updates and resetting restarting and working away ,

I returned with my cup of coffee to find, it had failed again and it was stuck in the same loop. 

After 6 weeks of spending spare time redoing this numerous times , I have spent enough of my time.

So I now cloned the upgraded  original and that's it , I bat away everything I can from Microsoft for updates. Disappointed is probably the best I can say, but honestly if I performed to the standard Microsoft perform I would be justifiably fired from all the support and engineering contracts I have.

I get it if Microsoft want to upgrade the systems that makes older models before 2015 redundant, sometimes backwards compatibility to legacy systems means that the upgrades become overly cumbersome and ineffective. However that does not permit them to just release poor options , have the courtesy and business acumen to at least tell your consumers, and have the forethought to allow them to choose to not upgrade the software. But hey ,,, what am I saying , this is Microsoft 2019

... it is a lottery and I hope your luck continues but it is just that, luck!

Your answer betrays a lack of understanding which unfortunately clouds your experience.

With computers - all computers - the install makes all the difference when an update is released. When a computer is correctly installed and correctly maintained afterward the chances of harm caused by an update are dramatically reduced.

We read about lots of people here who started off with a poor install and then proceeded to make things much worse for themselves by doing crazy things to their computers, instead of spending the time to learn how to use a computer correctly. No surprise, then, that when an update from Microsoft arrives and tries to install itself on that mess, the results can be pretty awful.

And because the same people don't backup, or don't think they should have to, they often end up losing irreplaceable documents, pictures, etc.

Nobody says Microsoft is perfect - nothing created by humans ever is. Nevertheless, there is so much information out there, written at every level, that can teach people how to use their computers wisely and stay out of trouble. To me, learning how is better than relying on luck.

And that's the truth you won't hear from almost anyone here, least of all Directly's so-called Independent Advisors who are only focused on telling you want they think you want to hear, so maybe you'll vote for their answer and they can collect their bonuses.

Where have we read about people with a 'poor' install?  We have read about brand new computers being fried because they didn't upgrade the bios and we have read how people from MS have admitted that the update should never have been released.  This thread has plenty of people who DO know what they are talking about (including myself) and the update screwed up their computer. 

I cannot believe you are trying to blame the end users.  Read some of this thread (as I have carried on getting replies and have read most of it) and if you you will see how ridiculous what you are saying is.

Really sorry I said anything... the comments here are not helpful.  I have done everything suggested before I ever posted a comment.....  SO IT IS NOT a "lack of understanding"  unless it is on your part.

This is on Microsoft not me.....  I'm off this thread so don't reply

We have read about brand new computers being fried because they didn't upgrade the bios ...

A brand new computer comes from the factory with the latest BIOS. And if it doesn't, that's the manufacturer's problem. Microsoft has nothing to do with the BIOS.

Moreover, new computers haven't shipped with a BIOS for several years. The BIOS has been replaced by UEFI.

Time to learn how computers work, and how to use yours correctly. It's nothing you can't do and you'll be much happier.