Windows 10 Can I upgrade with USB media without this last update???

chugbug

New Member
Hello All,

Well, I've been researching for days, but can't find anything specifically relating to this issue (except the general issue of not getting the GWX notification). My question is: can I safely install Windows 10 using the USB media if I'm missing an update that's being reported by the troubleshooter? Do you think it will update correctly or cause a problem if I try it?

Here's the specific problem in detail:
I have a brand new laptop (only a few months old) with Windows 8.1. It has all the important updates installed that Windows Update is sending me, and all the optional updates except Silverlight. But I haven't been getting the GWX notification. I finally decided to run the Troubleshooter to see if it would find a problem, and it says I'm missing a single update: KB2976978, Otherwise the rest of the test was a pass. According to my research, this update was a recent "nagware" update that Microsoft waffled back and forth on seding out, one time being an important update, then changed to an optional update. So I'm wondering if this is why I'm not getting the update in Windows Update. I then tried to find it hoping I could install it manually, but I haven't been able to find it. I found a website dedicated to it, but it doesn't offer a download file.

Additionally, the troubleshooter ask me to wait a while and they'd resolve the problem, but that was several days ago. So... do you think I'll be OK updating without that update, or do you think it's going to cause a problem. Or, do you think I'm being premature and should give it a little more time (a week or two) to see if the update shows up?

The notebook is an HP Envy model 17T-J100 with Intel i7 4700MQ Quad-Core CPU and 16GB DDR3 Memory. I have a similar Envy all-in-one Touchscreen system that was just rebuilt about two months prior to getting the notebook (I had to replace the HDD), so their nearly identical systems. That one also has all the updates installed INCLUDING the one in question (installed in early July if I recall correctly), and it is showing the GWX notification (it showed up on that one as soon as I finished installing all the updates after installing the new drive).

Thanks in advance for the help!
 
Hi,
if you use the Media creation tool found the link below you can bypass any further updates and simply upgrade. I would also check your system compatibility using the same tool:
Windows 10
Oh and you must upgrade first, do not perform a clean install until after the upgrade. This is because Microsoft have changed the way Windows is activated.
When you go through the upgrade process the set up will check whether the current os is both activated and genuine. This data is held at an activation database and if all is good then a licence for Win 10 is issued and basically replaces the Win 8.1 licence although is stored in the same place. This means that once you've upgraded you can download the iso from the same link and perform a clean install. You will not need to input an activation key as all the details are already online and will remain so for the lifetime of the machine.
 
Hello,

Thanks for your response kemical! I'm aware of all the other stuff--I've researched it throughly. I just couldn't find anything about trying to upgrade without the updates they were requiring and whether it would be successful.

I know I have to run the upgrade with 8.1 in place initially, in order to have 10 activate properly. I've also run the troubleshooter on the PC in question, and it has verified that my 8.1 copy is activated and "Genuine". As I stated originally, the troubleshooter gave me a pass on everything EXCEPT that I needed the KB2976798 update. I've also downloaded the Media creation tool AND created the proper (64-bit) bootable USB media. So I've got everything ready to do a manual upgrade.

I was hoping to get some opinions on whether not having that particular update might cause any problems if I tried to run the upgrade manually (using the USB media), rather than waiting it out to see if the update would eventually show up, and then give me the GWX notification automatically.

But the way I see it, unless it's just going to take a few weeks for the KB update to show up, if I'm not going to get it automatically through Windows Update, and they don't offer a manual download for it, I'm kind of stuck otherwise-- I'll never get the GWX notification. Again, that KB update is the ONLY issue reported by the troubleshooter. BUT it did report it as an issue. So is it REALLY an issue, or is it just Microsoft being Microsoft (trying to use it as an opportunity to make you install something you don't really have to have)?

Attached are screen captures of: a )the last Troubleshooter page where it shows the update needed; b) information I found on the infoworld website about that update troubles; and b) the KB update entries on my other PC (Envy all-in-one touchscreen) where it shows it installed FOUR different times over about a two week period. Based on that, I can assume Microsoft is still having issues with it. So it's possible I'll never get it.

Thanks.
Report_final-item-needed.PNG KB2976978 update details.PNG KB2976978 update install entries.PNG
 

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Sorry, ignore the Red & Black error message attachment. I forgot to remove it from the upload list. It was an error I kept getting when I'd hit the Post Reply button. I finally figure out I was getting that because I included the ".com" to infoworld.
 
I was hoping to get some opinions on whether not having that particular update might cause any problems if I tried to run the upgrade manually (using the USB media), rather than waiting it out to see if the update would eventually show up, and then give me the GWX notification automatically.
It shouldn't make any difference regarding the actual upgrade.

I would first check what driver support you have in terms of Windows 10 as Microsoft cites that the reason users aren't seeing a upgrade notice yet is because of driver support or the lack of it. If you have only have access to windows 8.1 drivers you might still be ok. I've only seen bad driver issues with lappies running windows 7.
 
Hello All! I just wanted to report back about my upgrade experience. I ran the update today on my HP Envy Notebook model 17t-J100, and didn't have any issues during the update whatsoever! It went as smooth as could be. It took about an hour and half, and afterwards, all my hardware was working fine except a small issue with the fingerprint scanner (Windows won't use it when I log in anymore (HP SimplePass). I guess I'll figure out how to get it working eventually (maybe a reinstall will reset it). The settings are still there to use it for the Windows login, but after several reboots, it still won't take hold.

I did notice a few minor issues as I worked with it for a few hours today:
1. I couldn't find the Control Panel.
It was suppose to be in with the charms, but it wasn't there or in the "All Apps" section. But after I found it doing a search I pinned it to the charms.
2. One of the first things I did was clear out a bunch of the junk charms. I would have thought they remaining charms would move around, or I could manually move them, but they seems to be stationary. So now I have a bunch of blank spaces.
3. Edge seems nice and speedy. And of course it's using Bing for search, so if you want to use Google, you have to figure out how to change it over, which isn't hard to do once you figure out where and how to adjust all the Edge settings. But the "Search the web and Windows" search bar still defaults to and shows the bing when the browser opens-- even in Chrome when Google is use set as the default search engine (maybe you can't change that?). Or you have to remove Bing altogether from the search options in the browser.
3. Can see my command bar text in Corel Draw x6. With the WHITE color scheme, and the text for the command bar also being white, now I can't read it. You have to be content to either run the cursor over each one to read the text, or change the settings to show the small icons (but those icons are so small it's hard to make out what they're actually for (harder to decipher than the white text). Windows 10 developers definitely didn't have older eyes in mind when they created the interface.
4. But the BIGGEST change that I found was that the right-click list doesn't have the "image preview" anymore! I use my computers mostly for graphics editing and I used that "right-click /Preview" feature all the time. I hope there's a way to get it back.

Installation (upgrade) note... When you see the screen with the option for "express settings" (after the "Welcome back" login), DON'T CLICK to continue. You want to choose the CUSTOM SETTINGS. If you don't it enables all the information transfering from/to your system to Microsoft and any installed apps. Take the time to go through the custom settings. It's only two screens with about five options each.

OH, one more thing... I planned on using the USB drive for the installation (upgrade), but chickened out. Everything I found for using the media whether USB or DVD mentioned would mention that you had to have the product key available-- which I thought maybe they were only meant to be used for a clean install. So I used the Media creation tool and chose the "upgrade this PC now" option. It had to download the files again, but it didn't take long with my performance grade account.

Just thought you might want to know.
 
I thought I'd update a few more things on my experience in case it might help others. If I shouldn't post them here let me know.

On the IMAGE PREVIEW problem... Apparently Microsoft decided we didn't need that anymore! I found a way to get it the PREVIEW options back in the right-click list, but it's kind of doesn't really do any good once you have it. Because you have to setup the Windows Photo Viewer as the default app in order to get it. Here's how: If you use the "OPEN WITH..." option, then "Choose another app" at the bottom, then scroll down and select "Windows Photo Viewer", then finally check the box at the bottom for "always use this app...", the "Preview" option will show up in the right-click options. BUT, it's kind of useless to do that, because once you make those settings, all you have to do is double-click the file to "PREVIEW" in Windows Photo Viewer. If I go back and reset the option for my graphics editor (PhotoPaint X6), the preview option disappears again.

Fingerprint Login... That one was actually staring me in the face every time I logged on! I finally noticed the little option below the login to "choose my login" (or something like that). When I click on it, it gave me the option to login with either my fingerprint or password. But I haven't figured out how to choose it as the default option yet (probably a little checkbox or something).

Corel Draw X6 command bar... After some research I found out it's a Corel issue, not Windows. And Corel probably won't fix it since they have the newer X7 version out. Apparently there isn't a way to fix it properly, just a work around to make it a little easier to deal with: If you go into the Draw Command Bar settings and choose the option to show the icons, either by themselves, or with either text below or text to the right you can use the icons to identify the commands. To make them easier to identify, I also change the size of the icons from small to medium.

I hope this information is helpful for someone.
 
Hello All! I just wanted to report back about my upgrade experience. I ran the update today on my HP Envy Notebook model 17t-J100, and didn't have any issues during the update whatsoever! It went as smooth as could be. It took about an hour and half, and afterwards, all my hardware was working fine except a small issue with the fingerprint scanner (Windows won't use it when I log in anymore (HP SimplePass). I guess I'll figure out how to get it working eventually (maybe a reinstall will reset it). The settings are still there to use it for the Windows login, but after several reboots, it still won't take hold.

I did notice a few minor issues as I worked with it for a few hours today:
1. I couldn't find the Control Panel.
It was suppose to be in with the charms, but it wasn't there or in the "All Apps" section. But after I found it doing a search I pinned it to the charms.
2. One of the first things I did was clear out a bunch of the junk charms. I would have thought they remaining charms would move around, or I could manually move them, but they seems to be stationary. So now I have a bunch of blank spaces.
3. Edge seems nice and speedy. And of course it's using Bing for search, so if you want to use Google, you have to figure out how to change it over, which isn't hard to do once you figure out where and how to adjust all the Edge settings. But the "Search the web and Windows" search bar still defaults to and shows the bing when the browser opens-- even in Chrome when Google is use set as the default search engine (maybe you can't change that?). Or you have to remove Bing altogether from the search options in the browser.
3. Can see my command bar text in Corel Draw x6. With the WHITE color scheme, and the text for the command bar also being white, now I can't read it. You have to be content to either run the cursor over each one to read the text, or change the settings to show the small icons (but those icons are so small it's hard to make out what they're actually for (harder to decipher than the white text). Windows 10 developers definitely didn't have older eyes in mind when they created the interface.
4. But the BIGGEST change that I found was that the right-click list doesn't have the "image preview" anymore! I use my computers mostly for graphics editing and I used that "right-click /Preview" feature all the time. I hope there's a way to get it back.

Installation (upgrade) note... When you see the screen with the option for "express settings" (after the "Welcome back" login), DON'T CLICK to continue. You want to choose the CUSTOM SETTINGS. If you don't it enables all the information transfering from/to your system to Microsoft and any installed apps. Take the time to go through the custom settings. It's only two screens with about five options each.

OH, one more thing... I planned on using the USB drive for the installation (upgrade), but chickened out. Everything I found for using the media whether USB or DVD mentioned would mention that you had to have the product key available-- which I thought maybe they were only meant to be used for a clean install. So I used the Media creation tool and chose the "upgrade this PC now" option. It had to download the files again, but it didn't take long with my performance grade account.
>>>Very interesting here. I tried multiple times to use the Microsoft media creation tool to put the WinX RTM (July 29th) release of the ISO file onto USB with no success. I also tried, many times over the last year using various Preview versions of WinX as well, also with no success. It's probably good you skipped the USB install attempt. It's failed miserably as far as I can see on 3 different computers I have (2 desktops & 1 laptop). There are folks on the various tech forums I volunteer on who say they've done it, and it's quite possible they have--but I don't know any of them well, so I am suspicious. My other tech friends here where I live have also not been able to successfully get it to work. Maybe there is a combination of tools that will work but I haven't found one yet.. I normally have the best success with WiNtoBootic stick creation tool, and that works on all versions from XP-->Win8.1. thanks for mentioning this however.<<<BIGBEARJEDI>>>

Just thought you might want to know.
 
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