Morning all, my laptop has, for about 2 months now, been failing to install what it calls an essential W10 update because “some update files are missing or have problems”. I’ve gone through the usual things (resetting Windows Update, deleting SoftwareDistribution folder, re-enabling Mixed Reality Viewer, sfc) but nothing’s done the trick – it still runs into this problem and will not install the 2021-08 cumulative update or anything more recent.

My question is: is it possible to discover which files specifically are missing and repair them to stop this pointless loop? The next option is an in-place W10 install, but from experience it’s about a 3-hour process of reinstalling programs, setting up accounts and preferences etc, so I’m seeing it as a last option.

deleted – just saw you tried sfc!

The next option is an in-place W10 install, but from experience it’s about a 3-hour process of reinstalling programs, setting up accounts and preferences etc

If you’re not running the most recent version of Windows, you might be able to just download that and do an upgrade instead of wiping the system and doing a clean install.

Most recent version is 21H1.

When you say you’ve run sfc, did you also run DISM? That may tell you what’s wrong.

Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

Yes, I’ve also tried DISM (couldn’t remember the specific bits, but it was that!). And I also downloaded the specific updates individually and tried installing them manually but no luck there either.

If you’re not running the most recent version of Windows, you might be able to just download that and do an upgrade instead of wiping the system and doing a clean install.

I think I’m running 21H1 unfortunately. But previous problems have been resolved with an in-place upgrade installation; and although MS promises this leaves all settings etc, it doesn’t seem to do so. Possibly not helped by all my programs and data being on a second HDD(?)

When you install Windows onto a system that already has an installation, the installer should detect that and offer to upgrade and retain all data and settings, or let you wipe it and do a fresh installation (or install a fresh version on a different disk partition and dual-boot to both). When you upgrade, everything should be just as you left it, apart from any new features of the OS. If you have to reinstall programs, that’s a fresh installation, not an upgrade of your existing installation.

☝

I’ve little else to add. Have you tried installing it manually?

https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=KB5005033

Or there’s the Windows Update troubleshooter.

Not unexpectedly, the Windows troubleshooter has been just so much wasted space on the hard drive. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever had a Windows problem (and I’ve had many) that has been solved by the troubleshooter.

When you install Windows onto a system that already has an installation, the installer should detect that and offer to upgrade and retain all data and settings, or let you wipe it and do a fresh installation (or install a fresh version on a different disk partition and dual-boot to both). When you upgrade, everything should be just as you left it, apart from any new features of the OS. If you have to reinstall programs, that’s a fresh installation, not an upgrade of your existing installation.

So I sucked it up and went through this process and… it only went and worked. Went out and left it doing its thing, got back to my desktop looking exactly as it was before I left, but with no problems with Windows Update.
Dunno what I’d been doing in the past (a full clean install I guess) but this is way easier!!

Thanks all

Good you got it sorted.
The next step before flattening it and doing a full minty would be to load up a fresh Windows USB stick, and rather than reinstalling windows there are some functions to find and replace any corrupt windows files with fresh ones from the USB.

That’s really useful to know, thanks Mattyfez.

Not unexpectedly, the Windows troubleshooter has been just so much wasted space on the hard drive. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever had a Windows problem (and I’ve had many) that has been solved by the troubleshooter.

That.  If you know that the troubleshooter even exists then you have probably already tried everything that it is going to 🙂

Windows troubleshooter, brought to you by the team that previously developed the shimano bite point adjustment screw.