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Old August 3rd, 2015, 07:01 AM
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jtdoom jtdoom is offline
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Join Date: Jun 2001
O/S: Windows 8 Pro
Location: Belgium, East Flanders
Posts: 5,990
Confusion about 8.1 update version

Hello again,
yesterday I wrote about getting the wrong download when I selected 64bit version of windows 10 HOME, and told you the other machine was downloading the correct version.
So, when it had finished I let it burn FOUR DVD, in three different brands, (one of them a minus-R and three +R)
I did that because some machines seem quite finicky about reading DVDR and throw an error because it's a +R.
Also because they all too easily scratch.

I stress FOUR because one might think one can make only ONE copy because of what one reads on the internet.
Oh, they mean One ISO, but an ISO is easily copied.
The tool will create only one, and if you want to make a new one it downloads all over again, and if you let the tool make you a thumbdrive (pendrive?) it downoads what was already downloaded all over again, for god knows what reason (the ESD files look the same to me in filesize but it erases the older one and DLs a new one.
(One of these days I will look into how one can make multiple copies of the USB setup media from the ISO or downloaded esd/source files)

With the last burnt DVD in the tray I let that laptop machine initiate windows 10 setup.
First, you should know what happened when, on the 29th, I ran setup from USB and DVD and got something happened errors on this laptop.
I cleaned out software distibution download and deleted the hidden folders in root and ran the update refresh command
(ran the command prompt as administrator. Typed in "wuauclt.exe /updatenow", and then started setup in root of the USB thumbdrive)
I noticed that these hidden folders came back, so when you start windows 10 setup it creates these hidden folders $windows.BT and/or $windows.WS in root, and puts files in softw distri downl folder too. It does start with looking for updates, so this not unexpected.
Then I got "something happened" in a later stage, and started all over -cleanup folders and Udate service- and after a restart I ran setup from a x64 PRO dvd.

That failed too, and I then dug into the directories and source files and launched setup from there.
Bad idea.
This asks for a key.
There is a generic one, but one can skip it as well.
Skipped, it failed with something happened, with the key I entered, it proceeded and later on I really thought I saw it was activated when I looked around in control panel settings and info...
The keyfinder tool I used showed me the same key as seen on the desktop PC I had done earlier (this is not the key I entered)
OK, all is well, I thought, so I re-installed norton security and that one told me it cannot yet protect the EDGE browser.
Anyhow, it ran, it told me it was activated (I really believe that it did tell me it was...)... and I went fishing.
Next day, I start up the laptop, and I see windows is NOT activated pop up at taskbar right side.
HUH?

I rolled back the windows 10 upgrade and win8.1 update came back as if nothing had happened.
(Oh, with the networking settings set the way I do NOT like, sharing everything it would share by default, because that was one of the changes I had made to get past the something happened error...)
One can undo the upgrade for a very limited time.
A month is not long, but at least one CAN undo the upgrade within a month.

So, I eventually figured out that this laptop did not have PRO on it.
(And then found out that things can go wrong in the media creation tool... it downloading 32versions when I wanted 64bit of HOME)
But, the DL on the laptop was a good HOME x64, and this got onto the laptop without hiccups.
Totay I checked if it was still Okay, and it is.
I saw no smoke coming out the back, so there... :-)

What does this story emphasise?
At least Two things.
When ran from within the source folders it lets you put in a key
(bad idea), and that is similar to the folks who boot from the thumbdrive or DVD instead of running setup from within windows.

That there is apparently enough confusion about what is running on the machine so that users attempt to use a wrong version. (and maybe they got the wrong dowload because they chose the wrong version, or they selected it proper but got a wrong one anyway.)

Language packs seem to confuse the download/creation tool or setup process.
I read reports of people getting English when they wanted Dutch.
Friends of mine use language packs because they use two languages in the household.

PRO has more networking functions than HOME has, so the upgrade error "cannot initialise folder" may very well have been the result.
(sorry, but the error came up in Dutch, werkmap means a shared folder far as I know)
But, that error can be overcome, most likely by doing it wrong and getting a wrong version onto the machine (hence the reports I read about cannot activate/need key...)

I hope I explained enough, and think it tells us something about the various reasons people come to duscussion groups about windows 10 setup errors.
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