Windows 10 Feature Update 2004 taking too long to install

By no means am I attempting to brag, but...  When I realized there'd never come a day when we'd see 15K RPM drives in a laptop, we jumped ship from the 5.4K and 7.2K spindles to SSD...never once regretted that and never once looked back. :0)

That decision was easy, even with the huge increase in cost and the huge decrease in size. The most painful part was, during the transition phase, jumping back and forth between supporting newer devices with SSDs and older ones with spindle drives. Now, it's a distant memory.

Oh, the way things were...audio driver installed via 1-3 floppy disks against a 4.2K HDD. And the way things are now...600MB download and 3-5min installation time (not including the suggested system restart), just to produce sound!?!?! CARAZAY!

The first thing I thought when I saw "21H1 update" was...virus! XD

LOL! Yeah, it does have a certain ominous about it, doesn't it.

Hey community,

I have read all 11 pages of this thread and second just about all the experiences the countless posters have echoed here. I'm responsible for roughly 120 client installations in our Windows 10 1809  and Server2016 environment. Using GPOs while it isn't worth keeping an SCCM. We managed to prevent automatic download and installation of newer versions post 1809. Now created an Active Directory OU for pilotgroup clients to test install WinX 2004. I have just spent the best part of three weeks trying to get the feature upgrade 2004 via on premises WSUS which is configured to distribute 2004 to said OU. After countless (9 to be honest) new installations that mirror our current client environment, I have gone as far as reinstalling the test machine yet another time, but this last time not even joining the company Domain, giving it nothing but a clean 1809 install and internet connectivity. Waited the usual days for the machine to finally say 'You're up to date.' The result being WinX 1909 (!) ****?!?

I have two questions:

1: Is there a known issue going from 1809 straight to 2004 i.e. skipping 1903 and 1909? I'm asking because in two instances where I actually managed to manually hammer 2004 into the client by directly applying the ISO downloaded from MS, after taking days I was finally present with 'Undoing changes made to your computer' <- that's worse than a BSOD, 'cause the undoing takes as long as the doing.

2: Has support for 1809 already been terminated or not?

Regards from Germany

Mat

I remember issues with 1903 that caused the update to be screwy, but honestly, that's the only one that I just couldn't get installed. But being an Insider, I was told to expect that, by someone in the "Community". I had to do what I described earlier, and use a flash drive and install it as a clean install. It just wouldn't install any other way. I'm still an Insider, and 2004 is still an issue, just like 1903. I know 120 clean installs is not what you're looking forward to. But your "test" group waiting days to finish, that's a bear. Wow....

He's further along than me (I.e., waiting days). I've gone as long as 90 hours before canceling it...seemingly stuck at 94% for the better part of 3 days. This is way beyond laughable.

Ouch! Yeah, that would be particularly painful. Only 6% to go and it gets stuck! I know it isn't possible for all, but a clean install USUALLY works. But since Windows 8, nothing is sure with this stuff. If you are working with a desktop, add an SSD and install Windows on it. I believe, and this is just a belief, that the OS doesn't work well in the environment of files, and files, and files. Like I said earlier, they are trying to merge PC and tablet, and it's a dumpster fire. Having the OS on a separate drive from the storage drive, just gives it less function. HDD's are a problem too. The OS has too many idiosyncrasies to operate in the slower world of mechanical drives. It's just a thought, but I have noticed far fewer issues since I migrated to M.2 SSD architecture.

Hey community,

I have read all 11 pages of this thread and second just about all the experiences the countless posters have echoed here. I'm responsible for roughly 120 client installations in our Windows 10 1809  and Server2016 environment. Using GPOs while it isn't worth keeping an SCCM. We managed to prevent automatic download and installation of newer versions post 1809. Now created an Active Directory OU for pilotgroup clients to test install WinX 2004. I have just spent the best part of three weeks trying to get the feature upgrade 2004 via on premises WSUS which is configured to distribute 2004 to said OU. After countless (9 to be honest) new installations that mirror our current client environment, I have gone as far as reinstalling the test machine yet another time, but this last time not even joining the company Domain, giving it nothing but a clean 1809 install and internet connectivity. Waited the usual days for the machine to finally say 'You're up to date.' The result being WinX 1909 (!) ****?!?

I have two questions:

1: Is there a known issue going from 1809 straight to 2004 i.e. skipping 1903 and 1909? I'm asking because in two instances where I actually managed to manually hammer 2004 into the client by directly applying the ISO downloaded from MS, after taking days I was finally present with 'Undoing changes made to your computer' <- that's worse than a BSOD, 'cause the undoing takes as long as the doing.

2: Has support for 1809 already been terminated or not?

Regards from Germany

Mat

I remember issues with 1903 that caused the update to be screwy, but honestly, that's the only one that I just couldn't get installed. But being an Insider, I was told to expect that, by someone in the "Community". I had to do what I described earlier, and use a flash drive and install it as a clean install. It just wouldn't install any other way. I'm still an Insider, and 2004 is still an issue, just like 1903. I know 120 clean installs is not what you're looking forward to. But your "test" group waiting days to finish, that's a bear. Wow....

He's further along than me (I.e., waiting days). I've gone as long as 90 hours before canceling it...seemingly stuck at 94% for the better part of 3 days. This is way beyond laughable.

Hi Mat, I can help you with Q2, not so much on Q1 (still struggling).

Regardless of what anyone tells you, whether it's Microsoft or people like me, Windows 10 is completely riddled with problems from the initial installation, to an through the latest build. Those on the inside that suggest otherwise are lying (more like ignoring). Those on the outside are only kidding themselves...it's not a matter of if, but when. I experienced minor nuisances with each and every build since the first release...and it gets worse (further aggravating) with each and every release.

The only positive experience I've had on the 10 platform is when using, albeit in a test environment only, the LTSB versions of Windows 10 (A bit of humor inserted here). I'm convinced that (a) the recent shake up at Microsoft will help to alleviate the pain/struggle, but (b) we're stuck with the OS as a service mindset until someone at Microsoft steers the company back from which they came.

Anyway, per this fact sheet, you should be OK with 1809 (beyond the posted end date):

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/13853/windows-lifecycle-fact-sheet

Good luck.