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Patch reliability is unclear. Unless you have an immediate, pressing need to install a specific patch, don't do it. |
(Youtube video here) Microsoft just announced 21h1 is in the final testing. That’s a sign to me that I need to “squirrel away” a copy of the current I
[See the full post at: Tasks for the weekend – February 20, 2021 – it’s Squirrel away time]
Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher
I’m running 20H2 19042.804 and have a copy on a thumb drive. I’m also fully updated, with multiple weekly drive images—I don’t need the latest ISO. Drive image restoration is much quicker than running an in-place upgrade.
As for drivers, I don’t routinely search for new drivers in the absence of driver-related issues or a need for new features.
I have one favor to ask. Can you code HTML links so they open in a new window rather than leaving the site. I think your default is usually to close out of Ask Woody and move onto the new link. As a user I realize that I can select a choice by right clicking the mouse button but I am accustomed to links opening in a new tab.
Thanks!
There is a check box for that in the ‘insert link’ dialog box. I usually try to tic it.
What brand of computer do you have? HP and Dell both have an app you can install to check for driver updates.
Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher
That is a problem of the users making and does not apply to version updates >1809 that are installed via Windows Update.
cheers, Paul
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10
From there click the download tool now – if you watch the Youtube video it will be more obvious.
Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher
I don’t want to alarm anyone, but I just downloaded and saved what I though was going to be the Win10 20H2 ISO using the MS Windows Media Creation Tool.
During the download, the <products.xml> file at $Windows.~WS\Sources apparently correctly showed that the build would be 19042.631 (i.e. the Win10 Home x64 version 20H2 build made available on 19 Nov 2020), however, after the download had completed I decided to check what I had actually received, by mounting the ISO and using the MS DSIM Tool to interrogate the <install.esd> file, only to find that it is actually (according to the DSIM result) 19041.631 **NOTE 19041 NOT 19042** which is the Win10 Home x64 version 2004 build made available on 19 Nov 2020 !
My first instinct is to assume I am doing something wrong, so please someone, put me right here! Has anybody else double-checked too? But if what I am seeing is true, this looks to me like a serious drop-off by Microsoft, let’s hope not …
This worried me enough to go and check using the DSIM Tool the Win10 Home x64 version 1909 ISO that I thought I had downloaded at Woody’s suggestion some time ago (27 May 2020), only to find that is actually (according to the DSIM result) build 18362.418 which is version 1903 **NOTE 1903 NOT 1909** made available on 08 October 2019!
So now I’m really confused and seriously concerned, and look forward to others’ views, experiences and findings on this all-important “squirrelling away” topic – thanks in anticipation!
What happens if an update goes pear-shaped? Or you have to do a repair install? Or you have to reinstall Win and you don’t want the current version, but an older one that is more stable?
Worst case scenario. That’s what the ISO is for.
What happens if an update goes pear-shaped? Or you have to do a repair install? Or you have to reinstall Win and you don’t want the current version, but an older one that is more stable? Worst case scenario. That’s what the ISO is for.
Restore my latest known-good drive image(s). It is much quicker and is hassle-free.
If I am following this discussion correctly it occurs to me that perhaps having both an ISO and a system image on separate drives might be a good idea just in case one of those backup drives fails.
There is no scenario from which I cannot recover by restoring my latest known-good drive image. I’ve mentioned this elsewhere, likely more than once, but I recovered completely from a house fire that destroyed two (fully imaged) PC’s. I had to get the hardware together in order to have a platform to which I could restore the image, but I didn’t lose a thing. And yes, I have multiple copies of my drive images, including a pair of HDD’s stored offline.
Am I correct that after restoring your computer with one of your stored system images you could upgrade Windows 10 to a newer, but not the newest, version of Windows 10 via Windows Update by utilizing Group Policy Editor and the Target Release Version function?
I’m already running 20H2 Pro Version 19042.804. I have driver updates blocked via Group Policy, but I don’t follow the common pause/delay advice at AskWoody.
My systems are fully updated (other than drivers), and so my drive images are the latest, up-to-date versions of Windows 10 Pro.
I do have older, archived images of earlier versions, but no reason to restore any of them.
Hi again,
Ok…came across the explanation to the “repair-install” bug issue at :
https://www.tenforums.com/installation-upgrade/169940-repair-install-upgrade-20h2-question.html
In short,the fix is actually in patching the Windows 10 20H2 system to build 19042.662 or higher and not the ISO/USB Install media itself.
Sorry about the confusion.
Cheers
IF you’re a regular Macrium Image maker — (+) Just Before a Feature Upgrade — IS THERE a scenario that you’d regret Not having this ISO of the current OS Ver?
In my opinion, no. YMMV
And not restricted to Macrium. I use Image for Windows from TeraByte, and TeraByte has not failed me in two decades.
I download the initial release of a new ISO to use for upgrading my daily-driver desktop. I wait for the push on my other machines. After that I wait for a new release, and re-use the same USB stick for the new ISO.
No need to keep old versions unless you plan on reinstalling one of them from scratch – why would you want to do that?
cheers, Paul
Thanks. Best to keep it on computer or on a USB drive? If downloaded to computer can it be copied to a USB drive?
Also – at the end it offers an option to burn it to a DVD? Was not sure what to do so I skipped the option and went to next.
Either place as long as you remember where you put it 
Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher
You can remove it.
Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher
Reverting with the ISO requires a complete reinstall, so it’s only for those who need this ability.
A backup pre upgrade will get you back to a working system without reinstalling.
cheers, Paul
There is no need to create a bootable USB for an upgrade.
Download the ISO, double click on it and run setup.exe from the resulting Explorer window.
Once you have an ISO on disk, you can use Rufus or Ventoy to make a bootable USB from it.
cheers, Paul
Any ideas why 20H2 failed?
The USB stick should be empty before creating a bootable USB.
You can download an ISO file(s) and use the free portable Ventoy app
to create a multiple ISOs(with various OSs) on one bootable USB stick.
Try after formatting the drive.
Now you need to test it by booting from it.
https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/getting-ready-for-upgrade-to-20h2/#post-2350120
cheers, Paul
You can’t break anything by testing your bootable USB / disk.
If try to make changes to your machine from the booted USB, then it may be possible to break things.
cheers, Paul
Prior to reformatting the flash drive the file format was FAT32
Fat32 support file size up to 4GB. The ISO is larger.
I have a question for you concerning terminology.
An ISO is a single, compressed file, with the extension .ISO at the end of the name. The fact that it is a single file makes it easy to download. You can actually copy/paste the .ISO file to save it to a Flash drive, for example. The name will be “whatever.ISO”
When you “burn” and ISO to a DVD or Flash drive, it expands the compressed file into its individual files and creates bootable Install Media. In that case, you will not see a single file with the extension “.ISO,” but the individual files contained in the ISO, like “setup.exe.” And, if inserted into the computer, you can actually boot from the install media without using the OS installed on the HDD/SDD.
This is similar to what you see if you mount an .ISO file stored on the computer, as a separate drive, by double clicking on it and/or opening it with File Explorer. But I don’t believe this mounted drive with the install media is bootable. It is mounted in a running Operating System.
So, my question is, what do you have on your Flash drive when you look at the contents with File Explorer, a single .ISO file or install media? Do you see a single file with the extension .ISO? Or do you see install media with individual files, like “setup.exe?”
PKCano
There is a single file on the flash drive. When it was first created by the Windows Media Creation Tool its name was Windows.iso. I changed its name to Win10 20H2.iso.
Incidentally, when asked by the Windows Media Creation Tool which media I wanted to use I chose “ISO file” not “USB flash drive”.
If the computer will not boot, you will need some bootable media to access the computer.
You can use the .ISO to create bootable install media (like the disks you used to get with a new computer) by “burning” it to a DVD+R DL (if it’s 64-bit, it’s too big for a regular DVD).
Or you can use Rufus (or other app) to create a bootable Flash drive with the install media on it.
Booting from the install media will do a clean install.
If you want to upgrade, saving your apps and/or data, you need to run setup.exe from within the running OS. In other words, boot the computer and use File Explorer to access setup.exe. This will let you upgrade without doing a clean install. So you can “mount” that ISO from within Windows to do this.
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