Windows 10: Update 1803 failed - leaves laptop machine unusable

Anonymous
2018-05-05T19:31:55+00:00

Hi,

Spent all day yesterday trying to recover from a failed update on a 64bit Lenovo laptop that was completely up to date before starting the upgrade to 1803 a couple of days ago. I left the upgrade working overnight. Here's the screen after I enter my login, password and wait some time for the system to load..

No icons from my applications, no wireless, cannot even access the 'Start' menu or Search! I have looked through many websites and pages but no-one else seems to have had this issue....

I started exploring my laptop... The only way I could get the laptop to reboot was to use 'Ctrl-Alt-Del' to bring up the Task Menu, then there is a 'Restart' button bottom right. No Windows services were running.

Upon restarting, I cannot access the recovery menu... nothing worked... tried all function buttons, Shift key and Windows key combinations etc. Can't recall exactly how I did it now - but trying to recover, I get to:- 

then: 

Tried them all but no change in the final outcome.... and keep coming back to: 

None of the options work to install the windows update.

Thinking I might be able to get the wifi working to continue the update download, I use Task Manager to start lots of services, not really knowing what I am doing.. but I get the wifi icon in the task bar, but cannot find a way to see the accessible wifi networks or log onto them... After working all day on this, I leave the machine running overnight as I appear to have triggered an update - at least the message read's Getting my machine ready! In the morning, I see: 

Click 'OK' and back where I started.

So more research... already a couple of unproductive days invested.... and came across a website and started to read .. and read...

Used Powershell to access diskpart and came up with this: 

I did find that my files are located in Drive E:/[user]/my documents and that the version of Windows installed is 10.0.17134.1

Accessing c: (Volume 1) there is [EFI] and a recovery.text file with no content (0 bytes).

Arrived at a point where doing something with Diskpart might really mess the system up... if that is possible! Can anyone/someone help me out of this? I have downloaded a new Windows 10 ISO to a USB drive but don't want to clean install and lose my files or applications - lots of which I no longer have the CD's for!... and no backups.

I fell into the trap of having three computers, two of which updated ok and felt somewhat reassured to update the third... Hoping...

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Windows update

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  1. Anonymous
    2018-05-22T22:03:56+00:00

    After the update killed the laptop, I found my document files in windows.old.000.  It was relatively painless to move them back to where I wanted them.  This may not apply to others...

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  2. Anonymous
    2018-05-22T21:51:36+00:00

    The free version of Macrium Reflect is fine, although it's missing some handy (in my opinion) features that are in the paid version.

    I prefer the paid version, even though it ain't cheap, because I get more features and better support. Also, you might have guessed that I have a 'thing' for backup and I like to support this type of software.

    It's not so easy to remove lines of code from a hugely complex project like Windows. It's safer to tell people to just stop using SIB and then in time hide the interface. Perhaps in the future SIB will be actually gone. Besides, people don't like when something they're familiar with is suddenly yanked away. Like, oh, I dunno ... Homegroups.

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  3. Anonymous
    2018-05-22T21:31:43+00:00

    Agreed. "Roll back Windows to a previous version" is not useful advice. The system is too broken. It refuses to roll back.

    I finally did get the system to boot, and ALL MY FILES WERE GONE. I could navigate the folder tree, but everything below the level of Desktop was gone. I am hiring a data recovery service for $500 to recover my files. Thanks, Microsoft.

    I saw this article today, May 22,

    https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/05/22/windows\_10\_update\_woes\_redux/

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  4. Anonymous
    2018-05-22T21:05:16+00:00

    Thanks again, BulldogXX.  Well, at least I have some insurance with the image via the Microsoft image creator.  I'll go check out Macrium Reflect.  Is the free version OK for a complete disc image?

    It befuddles me that Microsoft would recommend not using their image creator, but then still leave it as part of Windows...

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  5. Anonymous
    2018-05-22T20:56:40+00:00

    I am having the same problems as everyone else after the windows 10 update i can't even connect to the internet a very long wait for a retun call. No fixes apparently. So pissed

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