Windows 10 Expired

[neotechnet]

Hi all, one of my clients had the Windows 10 insider preview version and when Windows 10 free upgrade expired last week it broke. The below screenshot is what she gets and we tried a windows repair but doesn't work.

Does anyone have a work around for getting it to boot / fix so I don't have to completely reinstall Windows 10?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3ik0M2hOhAyNkQxcTg3QzBhbUk/view?usp=sharing

 

[Porthos]

First it is sad that a client uses the preview version on a production machine. Second doing that without an IMAGE backup.

But as for your question, No. To me that would be a data backup and clean install of the current release version.

 

[nlinecomputers]

The insider preview is NOT discontinued. Everyone on both the fast and slow rings should be on the Aniversary Edition Build right now. Reinstalling Windows is the only way to fix this. I would nuke and pave and get that guy off of the insider builds.

 

[nlinecomputers]

That build is 14393.10 aka 1607 version.

 

[neotechnet]

Ok so let me re-phrase my question.

I'm not asking how do we continue to use the insider version for free, I'm asking is there a way to fix this and then just upgrade to windows 10 paid version?

Or even to fix it just to get the user profile settings and then do a fresh install.

Is that possible at all?

 

[Slaters Kustum Machines]

You should be able to slave the drive to another machine and run Fab's on it to get the data. Or boot the affected machine to some PE disk and run Fab's from there or do the copy manually. Then N&P.

 

[nlinecomputers]

From what I have seen if your PC was a part of the insider build they will let you leave it without issue. Insiders basically get a free copy of 10 just for being insiders. Microsoft has contradicted that statement but I've never seen any system fail to work after they turn off the insider builds. But all of that was before the published cutoff date.

Most likely you can just download the latest build and it will work. Either as a repair install or better as a nuke and pave. The cutoff date likely has nothing to do with your problem. You would be getting an activation error, not that error.

But if it doesn't work then he needs to pony up and pay and stop pirating beta software to run a business.

 

[nlinecomputers]

Also that error implies hardware problems.

 

[neotechnet]

Ok so what do you mean download latest build and it will work? Will installing the latest build upgrade it in place and keep everything?

 

[nlinecomputers]

Under normal circumstances, it would. But you would already be on the latest build had everything been working correctly.

 

[Porthos]

Will installing the latest build upgrade it in place and keep everything?

IF you were able to already be booted into windows. Repair installs ONLY work from within Windows.

 

[AndyM]

Set the date in BIOS to a date prior to the system breaking. (Turn off wifi at the router so that it can't connect to an NTP server when it boots). Boot, backup etc.... Worth a shot.

Then get them the hell off of an Insider version!!!

Andy

 

[neotechnet]

Hi all,

So the good news is by resetting the bios clock we were able to boot up, only boot once though as it will reset the clock back.

The bad news is we can't do an upgrade to pro, when we do the online update it fails giving the same error message in the screenshot. A DVD upgrade fails as well.

Any other thoughts on how we upgrade the existing installation?

 

[Porthos]

Any other thoughts on how we upgrade the existing installation?

Sorry since an inplace upgrade has failed I still believe clean install is the only way to go.

 

[nlinecomputers]

I could have installed 10 copies of 10 in the amount of time you have wasted trying to fix this fubar install. And yet techs criticize me for saying that I suggest nuke and pave too often. Are you going to be able to bill anywhere close to the number of hours you have spent trying to make this work???
Let me guess the end user has software he doesn't have the disks for (or blatantly pirated).

 

[Porthos]

Let me guess the end user has software he doesn't have the disks for (or blatantly pirated).

Also trying to fix a fubard install will bring issues on later. My personal home system was an upgrade from 7, There are issues even now after all the 10 upgrades that I am sure a clean install will fix. Have verified on a spare drive.

 

[cypress]

Also trying to fix a fubard install will bring issues on later. My personal home system was an upgrade from 7, There are issues even now after all the 10 upgrades that I am sure a clean install will fix. Have verified on a spare drive.

Same here, I did the upgrade on a spare drive and still have my personal rig on Windows 7 Pro. I will go to Windows 10 when I am ready, just wanted to lock in the digital entitlement.

@neotechnet you are spending wayyyy too much time on this, please do yourself the favor and FABS the data and do a clean install. You will thank yourself later and so will the client.