New laptop came loaded with Windows 10 1803 and won't upgrade

[dv3-user]

I bought a new HP Laptop 14-df0xxx 5DD32UA#ABA laptop that came with Windows 10 1803 in S Mode.

This version of Windows 10 goes out of support in just a few months (November).  By that time, it will be too late to return the laptop and I will be stuck with an unsupported OS that can't receive security updates. 

I have taken it out of S mode, removed McAfee and applied all the available driver and  firmware updates using the HP Support Assistant.  The latest BIOS version the Support Assistant installed is F.14 from July 2018.

I don't have any USB drives or other peripherals connected and I have checked for updates  daily.

Windows Update only install updates for 1803 and says this system is not ready for the 1903 update. 

I am running our of time.

How can I find our what's going with this model? 

If this model is not going to be compatible for updates within the next few weeks, I need to return it now while it's within the store return window.

Systems that can't be upgraded from an OS build that is about to be EOL shouldn't still be on the market for sale..

[banhien]

@dv3-user 

You have to switch Windows 10 S to normal Windows first (free) using the following instructions

     https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/help/4456067/windows-10-switch-out-of-s-mode

Regards.

[dv3-user]

I did that already.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Him, @dv3-user 

The only suggestion I can offer if clicking on the blue update now button at the link below doesn't allow you to update to W10 v1903, would be to clean install W10 by making the bootable USB installation media instead.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

You'll probably find the notebook runs a whole lot better anyway than with the HP factory image.

After W10 installs, you can install the drivers and available software from your notebook's support page.

https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/selfservice/hp-14-df0000-laptop-pc/23201152

[dv3-user]

I tried using the Microsoft Windows 10 Upgrade Assistant to install 1903 and it installed 90% of the way over about and hour and then rolled back undoing changes.  

This makes me think there may be some hardware issue with the laptop model (has lots of Realtek hardware, like graphics, network, Bluetooth etc. instead of Intel) that makes me think there could a hardware issue with this model that isn't compatible.   I am also concerned that the latest BIOS update for this model is more than a year old.

If I wipe the system to do a clean install and find out that the available drivers are not compatible with 1903 and I have no way to roll back to the factory image, I will be stuck.

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

I see all kinds of v1903 drivers on the support page.

I don't know what to tell you.

I've clean installed W10 v1903 on models 10 years older than yours, and had no issues with drivers.

I just used whatever was available...even Vista and W7 drivers.

Worst case scenario is you make the factory OS installation media using the cloud recovery client utility.

See if your specific model notebook is supported...here is the info regarding the utility...

https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c06162205

If you are not willing to roll the dice, the clear decision would be to return the PC to the store while you still can.

[dv3-user]

I checked the HP support site and found newer drivers and BIOS than the HP support assistant had.  I installed those and I still didn't get the feature update through Windows Update.

I when ahead and made the HP cloud recovery USB stick and then used the Microsoft Windows 10 Media Creation Tool to install 1903.  I just chose the option to not keep any files, apps or settings and it worked.

I then ran Windows updates and drivers and yet another new BIOS update came through Windows Update.  BIOS is now up to F.22 from June 2019.

Looks like all the updates can come from Microsoft and I don't need the HP Support Assistant at all.

This was a poor user experience, but at least it worked.  I didn't want to deal with a feature update coming when I'm in the middle of classes in a few weeks and I also didn't want to deal with having an orphaned laptop if it had failed to automatically update by the End of Support of 1803 in November.   

If the laptop had just come loaded with 1809 instead of 1803, there would have been plenty of time to postpone this update.