Creators Update saga

[deltarho[1859]]

On Saturday afternoon, 29/04/17, I was doing a spot of maintenance and Windows Update told me that my PC was up to date and the last check was on the 25th. What?

I then tried a manual update and was told "There were some problems installing updates ...".

The Windows Update trouble shooter applied four fixes including pending updates. However, nothing seemed to get fixed.

I spent ages trying one 'fix' after another, including emptying the SotwareDistribution folder, and late on Sunday night I had an idea. I have a full system backup done, internal SSD to external SSD, every day at 2100. Suppose immediately after the full backup at 2100 on 24/04/17 I shut the machine down, went on holiday and turned my machine back on at 0030 01/05/17. Windows should do a successful update check because it did so on the 25th.

Well I did not go on holiday but restored the system to 2100 24/04/17 and on completion at 0030 01/05/17 Windows Update started but told me that my PC was up to date and the last check was on the 24th. A manual update gave me the same as above.

However, since I had a successful check on the 25th this issue has nothing to with me - it has to do with Microsoft.

Thw Windows Update trouble shooter found issues again but didn't seem to fix anything. I reckon it did but the issues returned on every update try.

There is a contradiction: On the one hand I am being told my PC is up to date on an automatic check and on the other hand I am being told about problems installing updates on a manual check.

Microsoft is currently blocking Creators Update and rolling out to machines it reckons can take it without issue. Perhaps, I don't know why, I am on the blocked list. If so then I should still get updates for Version 1607. However, I am now on Version 1703. If the pending updates are for version 1607 then they will fail. We may have a classic case of the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. I should add that I manually installed the Creators Update on 10th April before being invited to do so - big mistake - and that may be why I have problems.

There was a non-security Version 1703 update published on 25th April, KB4016240 (320MB). Needless to say I did not get that. I downloaded a x64 standalone version and installed it myself. No problems and it is in the update history. The Windows Update is till not working. The Windows update trouble shooter is still telling me that there are pending updates. I think that confirms that they are 1607 updates and Microsoft has got its knickers in a twist.

First lesson learnt: Do not download updates until invited to do so, and perhaps defer them until the dust has settled. Second lesson learnt: Do a full system backup before major updates and put it in a separate folder so that it does not get deleted by the backup counter. I wouldn't touch a Windows roll back with a barge poll any more than I do with System Restore points. My backup program will restore a full system backup in 8 minutes, it backs up in less than three minutes - I keep my system lean. <smile>

I have emailed a friend and asked him to let me know when he gets updates so that I can go to Microsoft and get them myself. This situation may resolve itself but, then, it may not.

BTW, the Creators Update screwed up my Start Menu. It became erratic and sometimes took ages to open. Sometimes it opened quickly and then went to sleep for a while disallowing an application's opening until it woke up again. I downloaded the Windows Start Menu trouble shooter. It told me what to fix but made no attempt to fix anything itself. After my fixing, the trouble shooter told me all was well. It broke again and the trouble shooter told me to fix the same issues. I have been using Stardock's Start10 since 13th April - works a treat.

Come back Windows 7, all is forgiven. Actually, there was very little to forgive, was there?