Windows 10 upgrade horrors
 

I have 8.1 pro on a GPT hard disk. Windows 8.1 is amazingly bad. I wanted to upgrade it while possible.

Lost 3 hours today trying.An endless update of 8.1 happened - does it use a 2400 baud modem? I have a windows 10 iso, but it wants a product key and will not pass that stage. I tried my windows-8.1 one, and 2 generic ones from the internet. No dice.

I tried doing it with windowsupdate. Got something going, downloaded 100% and promptly barfed with some error window hidden behind everything that was happening. I really haven't a clue but it was small

Any suggestions?

did you NOT install the windows updates from the last 2 months?
there are TWO( maybe 3) that will AUTO download win10 ( all 3.5 gig's of it) with out YOU doing anything
then ( for your convenience) pop up a nag windows all the time to NAG YOU into upgrading to the spyware that is known as Win10 ( and now 8 and 7 has the spy ware backported)


all you have to do to upgrade
is

click on yes in the nag window


but
have a FULL !!!!!!
back up of everything on the computer

win10 upgrade has been known to make new partitions and repartition over a linux install
-- this IS a reported WTF problem

Or if you wait a few more weeks, the next build of Windows 10 will accept Windows 7 & 8.1 keys, so you could do a fresh installation of Windows 10 and it should accept the 8.1 key.

There is something about how a drive is formatted that sometimes prevents Windows 10 from installing. At first I was going to update my desktop to 10 but didn't matter how I tried the upgrade would fail, so rather than reinstalling 7, I just uninstalled all the Win10 nags and sticking with 7.

Moderator response
 

Moved: This thread is more suitable in <General> and has been moved accordingly to help your thread/question get the exposure it deserves.

@JohnVV: Thanks forv reply. No, I didn't update. June - September I was in hospital - I had a stroke. That windows 8 disk only sits there just in case and is not part of my computing life. I take out the linux ssd and put it in for upkeep, just in case I ever need/want a windows UEFI system. Can't imagine why I would, but it seems stupid not to.

@Timothy Miller: Thanks also. I think I have made the mistake of burning the windows 10 iso under linux :-/. Next I will try doing it under windows.

Hi...

Are the generic keys legal? Perhaps you can give Microsoft a call and get help with the upgrade process and/or getting a key.

Regards...

10 is also 'amazingly bad', at least 8.1 has some options over what spyware you get foisted on you. You're just trading one turd for another. If it's the "start menu" which attracts you, don't bother - it's just much the same metro/start screen scaled down and moved to a 'pop out' in the bottom left hand corner with the addition of some completely useless functions/features. Start menu is dead and buried. With windows 8.1 and 10, just right click on the windows logo button (where Start used to be) and you'll get a pop up menu with some useful stuff.

I believe upgrades are throttled and dealt with in phases to cope with demand.

Hmmmph!

After losing 2 hours on it I discovered

1. all available online product keys are not ok for whatever version of windows 10 that m$ gave me. Neither does my existing key work.
2. WindowsUpdate will not provide an app or update online because my windows 8.1 supplied new in 2012," isn't Activated." Activation fails. My product key (found by keyfinder) fails.

Free Upgrade? ROTFL. If I were to give them a labour bill for my time....

@cynwulf: If that's the case (trading one turd for another), would I be better formatting, saying goodbye to windows 8/8.1/10 and installing windows 7?bThat will still run programs for a while. I don't need security. Only a fool expects that from windows.

You could just run Windows 7 yes. No idea when security updates for that will stop, but as the majority of corporate users are still on it, it shouldn't be for a good while.

Right. I will install it in a VM, and close this thread. I don't expect as many issues with that. I will lambasted Samsung because their supplied copy of windows is not activated. What will I do with the disk? Dunno, bit it's there anyhow if I need space.

Install MSDOS 5, XTreeGold, Word Perfect, and Turbo Pascal and write the last 20 odd years off as a bad idea?

P.S. I'm completely disillusioned with the turn modern computing has taken. I'm only half joking above. If it was a viable choice, I'd go back in a heartbeat.

Might help or not

http://www.pcworld.com/article/29994...-software.html

No subliminal message here. Just info.

Thanks for suggestions, guys. It seems

• I can't install windows 7 in a VM because it does EFI also, and Slackware does not, causing me to switch it off in the bios. If I switch it on, I can't boot.
• I can't install windows 10 because my windows 8.1 was never activated by Samsung. It wants another product key and I don;t have it.
• I can't work with windows 8.1 because my sanity is endangered.
• I am unlikely to i be allowed install win7 over win8.1
• If I switch Virtualbox to enable EFI with Windows, I get as far as some pxe boot terminal, but really don't know what to do there
• If I absolutely must have windows, there's Vista on an old HP here somewhere, which should work for a while (and the hell with security updates - it's rarely on).
• Windows 10 upgrades fail as already detailed

But I will give grief to Samsung over the windows 8.1.

Classic Shell on 8.1

I get as far as that stupid startup screen with all the goofy icons for things/services I don't want and my stomach turns