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
    2018-05-20T12:46:32+00:00

    My laptop is the same. Completely ruined - have spent hours trying to sort this out and looks like I have now lost documents and hundred of pounds to buy a replacement.

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  2. Anonymous
    2018-05-21T13:54:43+00:00

    Same.

    I had to hire a data recovery service. It will cost about $500. Then, once they return the disk, I'll have to figure out how to re-install Windows 10 from scratch. More hours of time. In the meantime, I have already been without my computer for a week and counting.

    Hey Microsoft. If you can't afford to TEST YOUR UPDATES before you make them, DON'T MAKE THEM. Telling customers, "You should have made a backup", is pretty weasely, coming from a huge corporation. So we have to defend ourselves from you? Be prepared 24/7, lest Microsoft decide to destroy your computer! If I did that to our customers, they would sue us for millions and win.

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  3. Anonymous
    2018-05-22T00:49:50+00:00

    Hi everyone,

    Thank you for all your inputs as it has been valuable information. As of the moment, we have submitted a report using the details that you've provided on this thread. In the meantime, in order for you to gain back full functionality, we suggest that you perform a roll back on your Windows to a previous built.

    Please let us know if this helps by replying for further details.

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  4. Anonymous
    2018-05-22T06:02:52+00:00

    I'm having exactly the same problems - those screenshots could have come from my computer. I'm on a DELL.

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  5. Anonymous
    2018-05-22T16:00:07+00:00

     perform a roll back on your Windows to a previous built.

    Read the thread. The people who have this problem (and I know of at least two others who aren't posting here) are totally unable to reach any of the normal system maintenance screens. The systems are too broken to roll themselves back. This advice really isn't helpful.

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