Windows 8.1 -> 10 Upgrade "Windows installation media" error

[ThatGuy39123]

Greetings,

I am attempting to upgrade from a Windows 8.1 Pro Guest to Windows 10 Pro. I start the VM and boot into Windows 8.1. I have the MSDN Windows 10 Multiple Edition ISO attached to a SATA optical drive in the guest. Setup.exe starts and the install proceeds until the following is selected: "Upgrade: Install Windows and keep files, settings, and applications".

This produces a compatibility error: "The computer started using the Windows installation media. Remove the installation media and restart your computer so that Windows starts normally. Then, insert the installation media and restart the upgrade. (Do not select “Custom (advanced)” to perform an upgrade. “Custom (advanced)” installs a new copy of Windows and deletes your programs and settings.)"

The VM was not started using the installation media. I have seen this same behavior with the preview and insider builds, however I chalked it up to pre-release software.

Has anyone seen or resolved this issue? I am running VirtualBox 5.0.0 r101573 on a Windows 8.1 host.

Thank you,

ThatGuy

[BillG]

If you have a genuine Windows 8.1 which is activated you should use the Microsoft approved method rather than a do it yourself one.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/softwar ... /windows10

[ThatGuy39123]

Greetings,

My apologies, let me clarify:

I am using a Microsoft provided install / upgrade disc which is failing to upgrade in place in the VirtualBox environment. I am a MSDN subscriber.

I am attempting to upgrade a genuine, activated Windows 8.1 Pro install to Windows 10 Pro. The link provided recreates this media.

Install Disc:
File Name: en_windows_10_multiple_editions_x64_dvd_6846432.iso
Languages: English
SHA1: 60CCE9E9C6557335B4F7B18D02CFE2B438A8B3E2

[erdeslawe]

If you are a MSDN Subscriber, surely you must know that Multiple Editions DVDs are only for use for new OEM installations of Windows with appropriate product codes and not as upgrade media. Check on the MSDN Forums if you need to.

As BillG advised, Microsoft's own advice on Win 10 upgrades is that you MUST use the specific ISO version appropriate to the device you are upgrading.

[ThatGuy39123]

Greetings,

I'll run through making the media locally given the above link. Also, I have reserved via the desktop icon.

Currently Microsoft has the media separated by edition: Multiple Editions (Home and Pro), Education, Enterprise, and Features on Demand.

MSDN 1.PNG (8.56 KiB) Viewed 6340 times

The usual variants are available (N build, UK English) but there is only one image for a 64 bit Win 10 Pro install, the Multiple Editions image:

MSDN 2.PNG (84.81 KiB) Viewed 6340 times

The issue is that the upgrade does not work.

W10 2.PNG (21.36 KiB) Viewed 6340 times

To be clear, this is running setup.exe from the ISO image. The VM was not booted with the ISO.


ThatGuy

[ThatGuy39123]

Upgrade Menu running setup.exe from the ISO

W10 1.PNG (22.67 KiB) Viewed 6339 times

[BillG]

What part of "you are using the wrong installation media" do you not understand?

[ThatGuy39123]

For anyone else who comes across this thread, the issue ended up being neither the install media nor VirtualBox, but a corrupted Win8.1 install / NTFS filesystem.

* The Multiple Editions ISO (en_windows_10_multiple_editions_x64_dvd_6846432.iso) does function as an upgrade disc. I was able to upgrade a different Win7 machine to Win10 without issue.
* For the Win8.1 Guest: The system drive was running low on space (16/174GB) so I cleared some source trees that I could pull from source control, shut down, and snapshotted the vm. Next boot went straight to the Windows Recovery Environment. Rolled back to a snapshot from before deleting the source trees and set checkdisk for the next boot (chkdsk c: /f followed by Y at the prompt). And in roll the filesystem errors.
* Running checkdisk then deleting the source trees went fine, however running MediaCreationToolx64.exe did not. The process immediately exits with no UI presented. The hidden directory $Windows.~BT was created with a Sources subdirectory but nothing else. It seems people are seeing similar here: http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/ ... -not-open/
* Running Refresh ("Refresh your PC without affecting your files") also was unable to complete in the Guest


*tl;dr
Not much works correctly on a corrupted filesystem and backups pay off.