I can vouch for this method! It worked very well for me not too long ago to sort out a misbehaving Windows 10 system. 🙂

But to emphasize an important point here: the repair install can only be run from a currently booted & running Windows system (online). That is the point of downloading and mounting a copy of the installer locally as an ISO.

You can’t get to the repair install by booting the system offline from the installer media. So this method is not an option if Windows will not boot.

I thought, once the .iso is downloaded to the desktop, you can take PC offline to then mount and click on setup.exe and perform the install? This would give time to check GP settings ie ‘2’ Notify, and all other privacy settings before going back online ‘live’? I don’t have a MS account, just local.

Hi,

Does the above method {6000015 – Repair install of Windows 10 22H2} also work for Windows 8.1?

I have a customer {> 200 miles away} trying to upgrade to Windows 10 Professional from Windows 8.1. Professional with no luck. Progresses to ~ 99% and reverts to Windows 8.1, no error codes reported. Attempted this 5 times, same scenario.

I have updated Windows 8.1 to be as current as possible, performed anti-mailware scans using 6 different Apps {Malwarebytes, Adwcleaner.exe, Adware Removal Tool, Junkware Removal Tool, RogueKiller.exe and Windows Defender}. Machine had few, irrelevant malwares to remove.

Uninstalled any unnecessary Apps / Programs with Revo Uninstaller in Advanced Mode.

Turned off as many unnecessary “Services” and “Startup” items as I could.

Attempted the upgrade via a bootable USB Windows 10 .iso as well as within Windows 8.1 running. Both failed.

Computer is a slightly older Dell All-in-One {just outside Windows 11 eligibility}, 8GB RAM.

I offered a “clean slate” upgrade attempt. Owner said no as he has a custom Microsoft Access file that he received from someone to run his business and has no idea how to rebuild it.

I can inform you that I have hit this “brick wall” a few times and, each time, a clean rebuild resolved the issue.

Any help / assistance appreciated.

Kind regards,
Christopher J. Spilker

Hi,

Must be a miss communication: I WANT to upgrade to Windows 10 Professional, not block it.

Thank you.

Kind regards,
Christopher J. Spilker

PKCano,

thank you for all that pertinent information!

While I did not include it originally, I already have run CHKDSK C: /r {after running DISKPART List Volume and SFC /Scannow. No issues found.

Next attempt at this will be on 27 June 2023.

Will update here after the attempt is made.

Kind regards,
Christopher J. Spilker

I have these two problems with win 10 22H2. In fact both problems resulted from 22H2 updates. “broken” for about a month now.

1. If I use a real wire connection to cable modem for Internet access, I get full speed 800Mbps downloads but upload is mostly less than 1 Mbps making it mostly useless. But if I use WIFI only for Internet connection I get about 400 Mbps download and 22 Mbps upload which works fine for me….but this happened to 2 different PCs; caused by 22H2 update from 21H2.
2. Now having win 10 lockup (mouse disappears)(requires power button hold to shutdown) mostly when using a browser to view a You Tube video. “recovers” after about 6 real restarts…but crashes again in a few days. Everything else runs OK. I tried 4 different browsers Vivaldi works best (but not always) and Firefox, Chrome, and Edge crash often. Can happen just opening a browser page.

So my question is: Will this “Repair” likely fix my win 10 22h2 problems and be worth the trouble? Would simply upgrading to Win 11 be a better “fix”? (My PC is rated by MS to be OK for win11) but I have a .reg file keeping win11 from installing.

Will this repair fix win10 22h2 internet access and browser crashes? Or better to install win11 to fix win10 22h2 problems?

Doug, make a full image backup to an external disk.
Perform a repair install.
Test.
Let us know if it fixes your problem. (If not try updating the network drivers from the manufacturers site.)

cheers, Paul

Striving to attain a perfect “KISS” existance, I just keep my Macrium image updated and handy. In all the years of doing this, it has never failed me.

Does the repair install of Windows 10 22H2 process, detailed in this post, preserve all data and applications on the system or do you have to reinstall apps such as Microsoft Home & Business 2021, virus software, VPN, etc. after performing the repair install?

Yet another question about this method: Does the over-the-top installation (which fixes a good many things!) require us to re-enable any changes we’ve made in Group Policy or the registry to get Windows 10 running the way WE want and not the way MS wants with regards to updates and “phoning home” to Redmond??

In other words, does it keep those settings we’ve applied via Group Policy and/or individual registry entries to keep Windows running the way we want and not the way MS wants??

PKCano wrote:

A repair install over the top retains your apps and data only if you so designate.

It gives you three options (change what to keep):
1. Keep you apps and data
2. Keep only your data
OR
3. Keep nothing

Pick the right one for you.

What exactly is meant by “apps”?

Is it only the ones from Microsoft, or would applications such as Revo, VLC, PhotoShop, etc. also survive?

Thanks in advance.

FWIW, Did an inplace repair install last week. I did mine offline. Kept all 3rd party programs. It also kept my Win 10 Pro bios-based digital licence active, nice surprise.

Note: if you use winshowhide ensure you run it as soon as you go online, as anything that was hidden is lost. You need to rehide everything incl drivers. (I turned ‘metered connection’ ON before going online as a precaution). Also check MS Store for your stgs there.

The only thing I noticed: Meet Now was back on taskbar, and OneDrive is again a listed shortcut in start menu, even though it is not listed in Progs & Features (was uninstalled in 2021).

Though it didn’t help with my other issues ie missing group policy Edge stgs etc in my other posts/topics (I’ll follow up there), this process was painless! YMMV.

We run HP’s Operating System Checker on a periodic basis to diagnose and optimize Windows 10.

Would it make more sense to run the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool on a regular basis – say once every six or 12 months – as part of a regular PC maintenance program?

As promised, this is an update to my earlier posting of 08 June 2023.

To recap, an attempt to upgrade a Dell desktop computer from Windows 8.1 Professional to Windows 10 Professional kept failing at 99% completion, and, of course, no error codes.

On 27 June 2023, I re-attempted the same routine.

I performed the aforementioned malware removal routine {nothing found} and Windows 8.1 updates {2 minor ones’}. Ran Revo Uninstaller for Apps & Programs, nothing found to uninstall.

This time around, I re-downloaded the Windows 10 Upgrade utility to the C: drive and executed it from there {as I have done in the past}. To my utter amazement, SUCCESS was attained.

Windows 10 Professional is now installed and no issues running Apps encountered.

I completed the entire gamut in Settings, created a Restore Point and called it a day.

I did not have to do an in-place repair of Windows 8.1 {whew}.

Kind regards,
Christopher J. Spilker

cjjsp1lker2140 wrote:

I completed the entire gamut in Settings, created a Restore Point and called it a day

Now create a full image copy to an external HDD.

Will this work if I have Win 11 22H1 and want to install Win 11 22H2?

I don’t have it blocked, but Windows update hasn’t offered it.

Thanks.

I am not sure what ‘keep my data and apps” means.

When I do a repair-over-the-top for Windows 10 and I have elected to keep my data and apps, does the repair preserve all of the setting-changes I have made at:
System, Devices, Phone, Network & Internet, Personalization, Apps, Accounts, Time & Language, Gaming, Ease of Access, Search, Privacy, and Update & security?

In many cases, the current settings in all of these setting-categories differ from the defaults when Windows 10 was first installed. I don’t remember everything that I have changed over time, but I do know some that I have changed: lots of Privacy settings, default apps for file type, the configuration of the Start Menu, and the configuration of the Taskbar.

What about GP settings I have made? Are they preserved?

As far as Windows Update is concerned, I realize that I will be WU-updated only as far as the build on the iso and that I will have to re-hide with WUSHOWHIDE all of the updates that have occurred past the build on the iso. I will make a record of what’s been sequestered in WUSHOWHID before I do the repair to be sure everything gets hidden again right about the repair.

I’m just wondering if I need to go into every nook and cranny of Settings to make a record of what’s now current before I do the repair and then change again what was changed before.

Windows attempts to keep all of your settings, but nothing is guaranteed.
I’m sure you’ll notice if something major has changed, but even that is better than a system that doesn’t work.

cheers, Paul

Bob99 wrote:

Yet another question about this method: Does the over-the-top installation (which fixes a good many things!) require us to re-enable any changes we’ve made in Group Policy or the registry to get Windows 10 running the way WE want and not the way MS wants with regards to updates and “phoning home” to Redmond??

In other words, does it keep those settings we’ve applied via Group Policy and/or individual registry entries to keep Windows running the way we want and not the way MS wants??

I have the same question as bob99 up above had.  Will it overwrite and delete any Group Policy or registry changes we may have made?

I used to run all sorts of windows utilities [sfc, dism, tweaking, etc] to fix windows issues in the end wasting hours and not achieving any real positive results.

I learned that by using the windows update assistant, I received all the correct windows upgrades and patches in the right order and without disturbing any of my user files and settings.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

Just run the utility right from within windows or use the version that lets you boot from a USB thumb drive.

n0ads wrote:

From personal experience I can answer that.

Yes, a Repair Install (AKA In-place Update) will overwrite/delete some registry settings.

A few examples of “tweaked” registry settings on my system.

• I removed several of the “right-click” context menu items I never use.
• I use WinRAR and set Explorer to always treat compressed files as files, not folders.
• I set all video/audio files to use VLC.
• I hide all the Libraries and User folders in the left-hand pane of Explorer.
• I replaced the default MS locations in the Save as popup with my locations.

A lot, but not all, of the various registry “tweaks” I’ve made over the years, get reverted back to their MS defaults after doing such an install.

After the first time this happened to me (many, many, years ago) I made a point of saving .reg files for all those tweaks so I can reset them back to my preferences anytime I need to do a Repair Install.

FYI, I’ve never encountered any Group Policy changes after such an update so it seems it leaves those alone.

So basically I’m gonna have to back up my entire registry, as well as all of gpedit and put it on a USB stick and then reinstall them once the inplace repair is done.  Correct?

@nOads, thanks for the info.  Since I’ve never had to do it before, I’ll keep what you said in mind, just in case it happens.

Yeah, I should have saved each tweak, but in hindsight, one now learns.  Oh well.

If I wanted to create the ISO on a flash drive as another source or onto an external HD. What is the amount of space required to do this For each Windows 10 Home and Windows 11 pro?

You need more than 4GB on a USB drive. 8GB flash drives will be fine.

There is no need to create a bootable USB, mount the ISO by double clicking on it and work from that.

What you do need is a bootable backup software recovery USB, in case your machine fails catastrophically. If you have another machine you can create the USB from a stored ISO file if/when required.

cheers, Paul

Hi,

I am late with this reponse due to not being observant {can ot reply to the e-mail from this forum!}.

Generally, ~ 6GB to 8GB. The ISO contains BOTH Windows 10 Home & Pro versions {or, lets you pick the version}.

I always download the combined versions and I use a 16GB Flash Drive.

Keep older versions around just in case. Microsoft does not post an older version, just the current one.

On rare occasions, I have had an ISO version get corrupted on a Flash Drive for no apparent reason. I simply re-download it to the same Flash Drive and tried it, never failed. Go figure.

Kind regards,
Christopher J. Spilker

Rush2112 wrote:

Will those work??

Boot from them to test.

Plug the USB in while Windows is running.
Hold Shift down while clicking Restart.
Select Advanced and choose to boot from the USB.
https://helpdeskgeek.com/windows-7/safe-mode-f8-doesnt-work/

cheers, Paul

I did a Repair install of the following laptop:

Dell Inspiron 3558
i3 – 5015U
6 GB RAM
1TB SATA HDD

Purchased new > 5 yrs ago
Windows 10 Home
Kept updated – current 22H2 (19045.2965)
Very little software installed
Under AV protection (Norton/Eset) at all times

Problems:
This was a low powered, cheap laptop that I didn’t expect much out of, but over time it became more and more sluggish to the point it was not practical to use, but I tried to keep it updated in case I needed it. Upon boot up new it was 1 – 2 minutes to reach logon, now it is 5 – 15 minutes. After logon, the apps looking for updates and especially Windows and all its “content” updating locks the PC up such even Ctrl + Alt +Delete is delayed in displaying. Any task pegs the CPU to 100% and the largest user is System Interrupts (99%). I tried uninstalling anything I don’t use and disabled a lot of Windows’ apps that I never use. All this trimming helped a little, but conditions got worse. I tried restoring a backup image, but the problem was still there. After the last windows update the Wi-Fi went nuts and would loose the connection and would not reconnect. Resetting the adapter gets the connection back, but soon will be lost. Checked for latest drivers – none better than what I have. Tried USB Wi-Fi adapter which also would connect and then during a download would just loose the connection and not connect until the adapter was reset. This was basically a Windows 10 that is running, but had problems that rendered it not very usable.

Repair Install of Windows 10:
I viewed Susan’s video on how to do this over the top install several times to make sure I understood each step, besides she has a beautiful voice to listen to.
Since I could not connect to the Internet to create the ISO file with the laptop, I used another PC running the same updated version of Windows Home to create the ISO file directly onto a USB flash drive. The created ISO file was 4.7 GBs. I transferred this ISO file from the flash drive to the HDD of the laptop. From that point, I followed Susan’s instructions. The process took 4 hours with many restarts for all the updates.

Results:
Wi-Fi automatically connected on bootup using my original settings and has not lost connection. Sluggishness has improved and the apps work.
Investigation showed that all apps that had been disabled on the Start up tab of Task Manager had been changed to Enabled.
I also notice that many of the Microsoft apps that I had turned off were now turned on.
After disabling the startup items and turning off the unused Microsoft apps the laptop was very responsive and useable.
The repair install fixed the sluggishness and the Wi-Fi network problem.

If the repair install worked for this low powered laptop, then it will work for any Windows 10 PC. Also, an ISO file created on a PC with the same updated version of Windows 10 will work on another PC with the same updated version of Windows 10, or at least did in my situation.

Drcard:)) wrote:

the largest user is System Interrupts (99%)

This is your hardware wanting attention.
Check the interrupts again to see if they are still high. If so you may have a hardware issue or a rubbish driver.

cheers, Paul

Paul T wrote:

Check the interrupts again to see if they are still high.

Since the repair install, the highest level was 1.7%. The main difference is that several apps can be using the CPU at the same time and doesn’t peg the CPU to 100% and the System Interrupts are less.

A belated thank-you to Susan for this easy guide. It took me a couple of months to pluck up the courage to do it, but finally I did and all went well. Had to restart 2 or 3 times to get everything straight (“pending” update from Oct stuck around). Thanks you so much!

I’m having an issue with getting the repair to work.  I’m trying to solve some significant Windows Update issues. Yes I’ve tried all of the preferred methods to fix to no avail.

I’ve tried all of these fixes

How to Fix KB5044273 Not Installing? Here’re Solutions

How to Rename or Delete Software Distribution Folder on Windows – MiniTool

6 Ways to Fix a 0x80073701 Windows Update Error

When trying to install updates from Windows Update you might receive “Updates Failed. There were problems installing some updates, but we’ll try again later” with Errors: 0x80073701, 0x800f0988 – Microsoft Support

My next bet was to do a repair install.  Yes, I’ve backed up all of my data with an windows image, file image, and recovery USB.

Unfortunately, my repair keeps getting hung up on trying to update itself before allowing me to get to the next screen to repair. I don’t know what to do next and I really don’t want to do a clean install.

Any help and advice is greatly appreciated.  This has been a PITA for a couple of weeks now.

I no longer need this forum. I have Windows 11 on both machines of mine.

Is there any known work around for Repair Install of Windows 10 22h2 when the install you want to repair is unbootable ?

I have passwords saved in my browser that can’t be retrieved unless I can get this install to boot again. All files and folders are accessible, the drive is mechanically sound, and I’ve copied everything, but I *really* would like to get it to boot again, and I think the only option is a repair install. But, a week of Googling hasn’t uncovered any method to do that. I would welcome any advice. Thanks