Need help with windows 10 upgrade Stream 8

[SidecarBob]

I am attempting to upgrade my Win 8.1 Stream 8 to Win 10 using MicroSoft's Assistive Technologies Upgrade from this page

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/accessibility/windows10upgrade?tduid=(14c348e893a91089cb2980533c6ee1...)()

I started by refreshing Win8.1 fully so that there is nothing on the tablet and then downloaded the Windows 10 Upgrade Assistant. When I started running it it said there was enough memory but it stopped at 95% and said there wasn't enough free space. I let it try freeing up space but it couldn't find enough.

I found a few threads on the forum about doing this but they all were too complicated for me or involved a different installer that had buttons that this one doesn't have.

I am not experienced with this kind of thing so I need very simple instructions. Can anyone help me with this?

BTW: I have empty 8GB and 4GB USB drives and an NC6400 laptop with Win10 that I can use while doing this if that helps.

[Malygris1]

Hi there @SidecarBob,

May the Forums be with you!  I understand that you are looking for help with a Windows 10 upgrade and that you are getting a message about insufficient space.  I am happy to give you a hand with this.

You can try using the methods described in these documents:

Installing Windows 10: What to do when there’s not enough storage space - pcworld.com

How to upgrade Devices with less free disk space to Windows 10 - thewindowsclub.com

Please let me know whether those work for you, and if it does resolve your issue, please mark this post as a solution. Kudos would also be appreciated.  

[SidecarBob]

Thanks for your reply.

The first link didn't tell me anythihing I hadn't already found but I think my answer might be in the second one. It suggests using Media Creation Tool, which is also suggested by this page that I found yesterday

http://support.hp.com/us-en/product/HP-Stream-Tablets/7439999/model/7482046/document/c04735317/

As I said, I have never done this before. My son studied computers so he always looked after this kind of thing for us but he passed away in April so I have to learn how to do it now. I am completely unfamiliar with MCT so I would like to verify a couple of things:

Can I run MCT on my laptop to create the installation media for my tablet?

If I do that do I need to have the software from the Assistive technologies Upgrade site on the laptop?

BTW: I should have mentioned that my NC6400 has Win10. Also, I now have a 16Gb USB drive and a 4Gb Micro SD card that I can use while doing this. I have also ordered a 32Gb card to use with the tablet but it won't be here for a few weeks.

[Flying_Kiwi]

The Media Creation Tool will work on your laptop (I ran it on my Windows 7 PC to create the USB memory stick I used for my Stream updates). Please note that you need the 32 bit version of Windows 10 Home for a Stream 7 or 8 tablet and NOT the 64 bit version you referred to above! I've nerer tried installing a 64 bit version on either of my Streams and even if it was possible, I wouldn't want to because the 1 GB of RAM is already heavily utilised with the 32 bit version.

Make sure that you run an upgrade installation as it'll then activate wheras a fresh installation (ie deleting everything off C drive first won't activate).

[SidecarBob]

Wait a minute, the assistive devices installer is 64 bit and I need 32 bit? Maybe I need to get back to Microsoft support about that....

[Flying_Kiwi]

No - on your original post that started the thread you mentioned the tablet currently has Windows 8.1 64 bit. The Stream 7 and 8 tablets come with 32 bit versions of Windows 8.1 so your upgrade to Windows 10 should also be to a 32 bit version of the OS. As for the Assistive devices, I'm not sure about what that is, only that Microsoft were still allowing free updating to Windows 10 under certain circumstances and this rings a bell as something to do with that.

[SidecarBob]

Now, I know I typed up a reply but it doesn't seem to be here now. I'll try again:

I don't think I entered any bit number. I certainly don't remember doing that. In fact i had no idea whether the tablet was 32 bit or 64 bit or something else until you mentioned it. Is it possible that the forum entered that for me?

My son used to do this sort of thing for me but he passed away 6 months ago yesterday so now I have to learn enough of how to do it myself. Or at least enough to get by.

Anyway, I looked in PC info and it says Windows 8.1 with Bing and under System type it says 32-bit operating system, x64-based processor. That means my 8.1 installation is 32 bit and  the installer will automatically install 10 in 32 bit, right?

One more question: When I have the USB drive ready should I plug it into the tablet with a regular adapter or an OTG adapter?

Re Adaptive Technologies: 'You qualify for the free upgrade if you use assistive technologies, which include such features as a magnifier to better see the screen, a narrator to read text aloud, keyboard shortcuts and an on-screen keyboard. Such tech is "designed to provide additional accessibility to individuals who have physical or cognitive difficulties, impairments, and disabilities,"'

https://www.cnet.com/news/microsoft-windows-10-free-upgrade-offer-assistive-features/

[Flying_Kiwi · Accepted solution]

The second line in your original posting mentions 64 bit hence my concern. Yes you've correctly found out that the Stream 8 has a 32 bit version of Windows and and x64 capable CPU. Due to the added memory needs for a 64 bit OS, I wouldn't even think of trying to install a 64 bit version though (even if this was possible). If Windows 8.1 32 bit is upgraded using the normal upgrade process then yes it'll automatically upgrade to the correct 32 but version of Windows 10 Home. The Media Creation Tool will let you choose which version you download however (as the machine you use to download the Windows build may not be the device you want to upgrade) for this reason it's important that you get the 32 bit version only.

If the instructions you've found on upgrading via a USB memory stick with the correct Windows 10 build are to difficult for you to fathom then yes, I suggest you do use Microsofts Tech Support line and get some 'hand-holding' during the process. As for how you connect the USB memory stick to the tablet I'm unsure what you mean by a 'regular' adapter. If it has the right plugs on either end to connect your USB memory stick to the Tablet then it should work. I used a 4 port powered USB 2.0 Hub when I've done my upgrading etc because it allows me to keep the tablet powered/charging while allowing several devices to be connected - not just the memory stick but also a USB mouse and keyboard combination. I posted details of the cheap and cheerfull hub I bought for this purpose elsewhere on this forum. HTH

[Photoray002]

Hello @SidecarBob

The links that @Malygris1 pointed you to should have done the trick.

How much free space does your Stream tablet say  it has?

Go to Start and click on This PC to see the drives listed.

Look for Local Disk (C) to see how much free space is left.

Also, you shouldn't have to reset windows 8.1 back to factory. But you probably have documents, music and/or photos that would need to be moved off the drive if you have them. If you have installed programs that are taking up a lot of space, those would have to be unistalled first to clear up more space.

You have to Upgrade before you can ever clean install Windows 10 later with a USB stick. You will need approximately 12 GB minimum free space to upgrade with also.

And yes, you have to use an OTG adapter to connect any USB peripherals like a drive, mouse and keyboard with a hub.

The Hub plugs into the OTG adapter that plugs into the tablet.

[Flying_Kiwi]

Hi Photoray002,

I've made my earlier guidance of upgrading the tablet rather than doing a clean installation in bold so there can be no missing this vital point. In case you've not seen the powered USB 2.0 hub I use, it performs the functions of an OTG adapter as well as a hub and allows the tablet to be charged at the same time as using these plugged in USB accessories. Your post has highlighted that I should make it clear this isn't an ordinary plain old USB 2.0 hub though (which would need a seperate OTG adapter as you've mentioned). The picture in the link I provided makes this clear.

Regarding the memory shortage issue, my Stream tablets have fairly minimal installations but to perform a recent Windows 10 update (ie to a newer version of Windows 10 from an older Win 10 version) I had this problem of the updater complaining about not enough memory being available - even though there was about 8 GB free on the tablets HDD at the time. The simplest way I found to get around that was to download the new Win 10 build to a memory stick and run the update (again not a fresh install) from the memory stick - that way the updated build contents didn't need to occupy space on C drive and this allowed the update to procede to completion. Hope that makes things clearer.