win10: usb install/disc install/media tool... nothing works -_-

[GiulioDXB]

Hello everybody,

I just bought a used HP Z820 (intel c602) that works fine but still runs win7 64 and i wanted to upgrade to win10.

The system runs on x2 xeon 2680v2 processors, 64Gb ECC ram, quadro k5000. System is installed on an ssd.

I started downloading the windows media tool and trying upgrading from that app. Continue to freeze on the "Making sure.." screen. After reading plenty of topics on this issue without a working solution (in my case) i decided to try with the USB boot solution.

Again, another problem. As soon as the usb starts the process it gives me an error "missing drivers of a peripheral..". Same thing, i found that a lot of people faced the same problem and none of the solutions seems to work for me.

I started again, this time with the disc installation, so I used the windows media tool to build an iso and the burn it on a dvd.

Tryied to select the USB/CD boot from the startup menu... nothing. Always boots win7.

Now i finished the options and don't know what else to try.

I've enabled, disabled uefi, legacy plenty times with no change in results.

Please help me, next step will be to bring the system to a computer shop.

Thank you in advance

[SDH · Accepted solution]

Try this.... do all the available updates via MS updates control panel.  Do Disk Cleanup on your C drive via its Properties page.  Go to Tools tab on that page after that and check both boxes for Error Checking.  It will schedule that so when you do a restart it will proceed.  This will take some time.... much faster off a SSD.

Once it has finished that boot into W7Pro64... this should be a properly licensed install.  Plug in the USB drive you made for W10Pro64..... don't boot from it, just plug it in to your running W7Pro64 install.  Navigate to it and go to the Setup.exe application for W10.  Launch that.  I personally don't try to save any applications or files at this stage..... you have those backed up already.  Let the process proceed.... this works every time on Z620s.  I only run my BIOS in Legacy mode.

Once the install is done your workstation's UUID is registered with MS, and you can do a fully clean W10 install on that box from then on.  This upgrade gift from MS still works for properly licensed W7Pro64 installs 4/18.

[DGroves]

I,ve posted on this before, the z820 uses the c602 enterprise chipset and requires the RSTe driver set not the normal RST

the RST Enterprise cpackage supports the c602 "SCU" ports which the RST driver does not

if you have any devices attached  to the 4 ports that are next to the two SATA ports they will not work unless the RSTe driver is installed

windows 10 has native driver support for the 2 SATA blue ports and the 7 LSI SAS/SATA ports along the edge of the board

it requires the RSTe driver for the "SCU" (sata) ports

download the RSTe driver from HP or Intel, either package has a windows driver and a F-6 driver that can be slipstreamed into windows

a quick workaround is to move the boot drive onto a blue sata port during os install then install the RSTe driver and after install connect devices to the SCU ports

[GiulioDXB]

Thank you SDH! SOLVED!

It worked perfectly.

I didn't actually use the USB drive but did launch from the ISO.

Quick and easy 😉

I didn't try the solution from DGroves but thank you too for the support!

Cheers guys, thank you so much.

[SDH]

For others.... the OP is describing having downloaded the latest W10Pro64 iso file from MS, and then he burned it onto a bootable DVD, and put that into his workstation's DVD player.

But, do not boot from that DVD.... boot from your properly licensed W7Pro64 install and then navigate over to the DVD.  You can go to your W7Pro64 install's Control Panel Folders Options View tab and go down to the option to Hide extensions of known file types, and uncheck that hide feature.  Then apply so you can see all extensions.  That way it is easy to find the Setup.exe on the DVD (or USB) for the W10 install files.  Create that USB or the DVD via MS to get the latest installer.  Don't boot from it.  Yes, later you can boot from those two, but don't at this stage.  Just navigate to and run the .exe from within W7Pro64.

Later, after this first W10 install has been automatically registered with the MS W10 install servers you can boot from either the USB or the DVD and do a full clean install from scratch.  The registration and subsequent clean install do require internet access, of course.

There are a large number of advice posts on how exactly to configure W10 with clean installs, but at this early stage I just do what is quick and easy..... I'll change to my fine tuning later during my clean install of W10.  My W10 installs generally do not link to a MS account.... I skip that.

Some day this gift will go away, but it sure is nice to have it while it lasts.....  Once your box is W10-registered this way you can go back to using W7Pro64 and later when the time is right you can easily load W10 without all the machinations.