Windows Refuses to update on HP Pavillion

[Mendax_]

Recently had a family member ask me to take a look at their laptop as it wasn't working well at all.
So got my hands on it to check it out. For god sakes with the bloatware nonsense. How long has Microsoft been making the system you're piggy backing off of. Can't you leave well enough alone? You can't even restore the system with Microsoft's system since you've jammed your own system on top. At least it would reset after what I can only be assumed something you've done to cause WIndows to think it's HDD has corrupted.

Anyways I need to get this stupid thing to update normally or upgrading to Windows 10. For some strange reason I have a hunch is the HP support system is buggering with it but maybe that's cynicism from the last 2 days of nonsense this has been. I've ran the troubleshooter for Windows 8/7 update. It claims it's gotten to the bottom of it (See pic below) but waiting 2 nights both normally trying to fetch updates or install Windows 10 has yielded no updates and or WIndows 10's installer(Media creation tool) halting at checking for updates 46%.

[WAWood]

@Mendax_ 

First of all, you are incorrect -- in that HP does not install something  ON TOP OF Windows.  While there are a few utilities that HP does install, none of them are a layer between the OS and you.

Second, using Windows Update to upgrade to Win10 is the least reliable way to do it, and most prone to failure.  A better way is to use this link to download and create Win10 install media:  Windows 10 download

Then, insert that media (do NOT boot from it), open the folder containing the files, right-click setup.exe and run it as Administrator.  That will start the in-place upgrade to Win10.

When that starts, you will have an option to choose whether or not to also do updates -- I always choose NOT to install updates, as that can significantly delay the upgrade.

[Mendax_]

Booting into Windows recovery to refresh the system claims the system's hard drive is corrupt but yet HP's added system to do the same thing can somehow manage. Strange why is my OS systems claiming the HDD is corrupt but yet the HP recovery works. Also I would have a hard time agreeing it's not a layer between me and the OS since the operating system is Microsoft windows not HP windows and I was also thus forced to use the HP's rewrite,add on, utility, junk whatever you wish to call it of the OS recovery system to actually revert to the original Windows installation. Well unless my drive has magically corrupted to only work with HP's utility which is quite the bug indeed. Also installs some "utilities" lol Wildtangent games and whatever travel booking app along with their "Tools" is just bloatware. That's laughable because it's junk, flat out junk.
 
Also I'm not using Window's standard update utility to upgrade to Win10 I am using the upgrade system(Part of the Media creation tool1903) which I pulled from a link just like yours from another post I read through on here while trying to fix this issue. Worth a shot running the same install system off a external media although I'm not quite clear what it'd change beyond skipping the download for Win10 since well it's on the external media. I imagine it's going to run the same update stage again.



So I did go a head and just humored the idea that maybe running the system installed on external media would perhaps by pass the update issue altogether... magically. Of course 3hrs later it's at 46% of getting updates like my other numerous attempts. In addition using windows 8.1s in built check for updates function and the one via the control panel still cannot even find updates for the current version of windows adding all the more annoyance.

[Mendax_]

Booting into Windows recovery to refresh the system claims the system's hard drive is corrupt but yet HP's added system to do the same thing can somehow manage. Strange why is my OS systems claiming the HDD is corrupt but yet the HP recovery works. Also I would have a hard time agreeing it's not added on since the operating system is Microsoft windows not HP windows. Strangely this seems to be standing between the OS and me. Since I am thus forced to use the HP rewrite of the OS recovery system. Well unless my drive has magically corrupted to only work with HP system which is quite the bug indeed. Also installs some "utilities" lol WT games and whatever travel booking app along with their "Tools" is just bloatware. That's laughable because it's junk, flat out junk.
 
Also I'm not using Window's standard update utility to upgrade to Win10 I am using the upgrade system(Part of the media creation tool) which I pulled from a link just like yours from another post I read through on here while trying to fix this issue. Worth a shot running the same install system off a external media although I'm not quite clear what it'd change beyond skipping the download for Win10 since well it's on the external media. I imagine it's going to run the same update stage again.

I went and gave it a shot. 3hrs and here I am with the upgrade tool open at getting updates 46%. Can't even get regular updates either still.

[WAWood]

@Mendax_ 

Sorry, don't know what to tell you ...

I though you were doing Windows Update, but if you're using Wijn10 Install Media, that should work -- as I done that dozens of times and never had it fail me.

Once again, there is no HP-installed layer of software between you and the Windows OS, just some utilities.  What you describe as the recovery tool is just a utility, not a layer of software between you and the OS.

As to why Windows thinks the drive is corrupted but HP does not -- no idea -- as it is usually the other way around.  Maybe you can reboot into Windows, run CHKDSK, and that will reset what Windows thinks of the drive.  You could also see if you can download the free version of Minitool Partition Wizard, install it, and run the surface test.  That should find and fix any flaws that are giving Windows a hard time.